Former manager clear 'exceptional finisher' will take pressure of Irish League record move in his stride at Coleraine
Adam Brooks’ former manager Peter Murphy has full faith the “exceptional finisher” can handle the pressure of his record-breaking Irish League move to Coleraine from Crusaders – and predicts the Scottish striker has “got room to improve massively”.
Murphy brought Brooks to Queen of the South in 2024 after fellow League One side Inverness Caledonian Thistle slipped into administration.
The former Celtic youngster shone under Murphy in Dumfries, scoring 10 goals in 23 league appearances to lead their charge towards the play-offs - that form ultimately attracted attention from Northern Ireland.
After starting the current campaign with a hat-trick against Portadown, Coleraine have splashed the cash to secure Brooks’ services with the fee paid reportedly setting a new Irish League record.
Brooks’ arrival adds further firepower to a Coleraine squad which already includes the likes of Joel Cooper and Matthew Shevlin – and also helps offset the impact of Conor McMenamin’s shock departure.
Having came through the ranks at one of Scotland’s biggest clubs, Murphy insists pressure is nothing new to Brooks – and believes he has the character to take it all in his stride.
"I think Adam will just brush that off his back,” Murphy told the News Letter. “He'll just go out and play, he loves playing.
"He knows how to score goals. He's been doing it from a young age.
"When you're at the likes of a Celtic or Rangers from a young age, you're dealing with the pressure of trying to be the best.
"They get a lot of opportunities in their games to score goals...Adam will take it in his stride, I'm sure.”
Brooks could make his Coleraine debut against former employers Crusaders on Saturday, providing an extra layer of intrigue to his deadline day switch.
Murphy has watched on closely as Brooks takes his game to another level in Northern Ireland and believes there’s scope for further improvement at the Bannsiders.
"He's quick, he's sharp, he wants to work hard,” added Murphy. “He never stops running.
"He knows where the goal is and he's an exceptional finisher.
"He's probably not the out and out number nine, a striker that's going to be holding the ball up and everything like that, but he runs in behind, he supports, he's very clever with the way he links up play.
"You can see that he's got room to improve massively with games. He's gone over to Northern Ireland, scored goals, done really well and he deserves his move.”