Irish League star 'don't know if I needed vindication' verdict after 'special' success
Joel Cooper doesn’t feel like he needed vindication to prove why a transfer to Coleraine was the best move for his career – but admits firing the Bannsiders to Irish Cup glory is special after “all the talk”.
After sealing a fourth Premiership title with Linfield, Cooper made a headline-grabbing move to Irish League rivals Coleraine last summer as the reigning Player of the Year.
Cooper scored 19 league goals for the Blues in his final season but bettered his tally in a maiden campaign with Coleraine, netting 21 times in 37 Premiership appearances while dealing with knee injuries – he travelled to London on Tuesday for surgery.
Much to the shock of manager Ruaidhri Higgins, Cooper wasn’t nominated for any Player of the Year awards this term – Pat Hoban won NIFL’s prize, Matt Ridley claimed NIFWA’s award and Rohan Ferguson was named Ulster Footballer of the Year.
Cooper rounded out his campaign by scoring as Coleraine claimed Irish Cup glory for the first time since 2018, winning the trophy for a third time at a third different club after previous success at Glenavon and Linfield.
With much of the pre-season chat surrounding his move, Cooper was delighted to prove exactly why he made the decision.
"I don't know if I needed any vindication but it's nice to have a trophy at the end of it because all the talk was I wasn't going for trophies or football,” he said on Good Morning Ulster. “When I spoke to the owner (Henry Ross) and the manager came in, the ambition they have said it all for me.
"They don't want to just be another team, they want to win and be successful. I knew myself what I was doing and I'm glad it has worked out.
"They (Irish Cup wins) were all different. The first one at Glenavon was special with my granda being a big Glenavon supporter, that was very special.
"When we won it at Linfield it was Covid so it wasn't at Windsor, it was at Mourneview, and there wasn't as many supporters there so it was different.
"After all the talk of the transfer window last year and everything, this one is special as well because people now understand why I made the move and what I wanted out of it. They were all different but just as special.”