From Coleraine ball boy to boss as Dean Shiels out to build bright future off proud past

Family connections thanks to his father Kenny Shiels and brother-in-law Oran Kearney both having served the club as manager in the past mark The Showgrounds as a place full of special memories for the former Northern Ireland international.

Now Shiels, following his return to the club in April and appointment the following month as head coach, is keen to build a bright future on the pitch alongside the significant off-the-field transition into a full-time set-up.

A return to Dungannon Swifts – the club he previously managed – will kick off the season this weekend and kick off a fresh era for Coleraine.

“It's been crazy, it's been constant work and then constant preparation in regards to players leaving and players coming in,” said Shiels. “Then trying to get the balance right in the squad.

“The work that goes into signing one player is a lot in regards to phone calls, dealing with agents, dealing with players.

"The magnitude of players leaving and coming in has been massive but we hope it's for the long-term benefit of the club.

"We don't mind doing the work, we knew it was gonna be tough when we took on the challenge but I'm enjoying the challenge.

"The players have worked really hard and are looking forward to start of season and we're looking forward to Saturday.

"It might not be a top six/bottom six as black and white as that the way it has been for the past few years I think.

"Carrick, Dungannon, Portadown...all those teams have really strengthened, I think the league's gonna be a tough league.

"You look at the fixtures and you don't see any easy games, I think if we're gonna be successful any game we're gonna have to earn it

"Dungannon...it's gonna be really tough, they've got good players, it's a tough place to go and they'll make it difficult for us.

"It's the first game so it's the most important, the most important is the next.

"We'll try and see where we're at injury-wise, we would like to be going there at full strength but, again, we'll see where we're at with the injuries we have.”

Shiels is aware of a potential adjustment period for summer signings, especially those coming in from outside the area or even outside the country.

“It (adjustment) comes from time and work,” said Shiels. “We've done as much as we can with the time we've had.”

He added, on pre-season preparations and coping with injuries to senior players: “We've been working and as it gets closer we're all really looking forward to it, we're all really excited.

"Pre-season sometimes can be a long drag but it seems to have gone quite quickly

“The young lads have been an absolute God send (due to injuries)...we're delighted at where we're at in regards to fitness levels (overall).