Former Irish League star Philip Major believes expecting Coleraine to win the Premiership title this season “was a bridge too far” – but insists the Bannsiders will be amongst the top contenders next term as they’re “moving the right way”.

It was a summer of change at The Showgrounds as Ruaidhri Higgins succeeded Dean Shiels as manager while a number of high-profile players, including Joel Cooper, Kodi Lyons-Foster and Ryan Schofield, arrived at the club.

Coleraine haven’t celebrated Gibson Cup glory since 1974 but were priced amongst title favourites by bookmakers ahead of the campaign.

While their bid isn’t mathematically over yet – they trail leaders Larne by eight points with four matches left to play – it seems likely the wait will extend for at least another season.

placeholder image — Coleraine celebrate scoring a winner against Dungannon Swifts on Saturday. (Photo by Andrew McCarroll/Pacemaker Press)

Higgins’ men sit third in the Premiership and are chasing an automatic return to European football, trailing Glentoran by two points in the race for second, while winning the Irish Cup also provides a continental route.

Coleraine have scored a joint-high 64 goals this term and produced impressive home from – they’ve collected 40 points from a potential 48 with only Linfield and Larne (both 41) picking up more, although the Inver Reds have played two more matches.

It’s away results which has halted potential further table progression, registering 28 points from an available 54 – seven fewer than both of the teams ahead of them.

With another opportunity to strengthen this summer and a full season under their belts, Major, who won four Premiership titles with Portadown, believes they’ll be fighting at the top end next term.

"I think at this point in time if they qualify for Europe it would be a good season,” he said on BBC Sportsound. “They have spent a lot of money on players, and when we spoke at the start of the season, we spoke about the difficulty of bedding in a whole new squad.

"That has been the case.

"They have lost too many games against sides outside of the top-six and also struggled in games against the top teams.

"They have more potential than they've shown in their results and performances, but it will take time for the players to get to really know each other.

"I think Ruaidhri Higgins will be happy if they qualify for Europe...this is why second place is so important.

"Third might get you into Europe, but that depends on the Irish Cup, so you'd like to have it done and dusted.

"They have a really big semi-final against Larne, which could go either way, so they should be looking to put points on the board and really press for second.

"If they can get themselves qualified for Europe without the need of a play-off, without worrying about the Irish Cup, I think that would be a good performance and season for Coleraine.

"It's a team that's in progression and going the right way. I think to have expected them to win the title this season was a bridge too far, but next season they'll be one of the key favourites."