Marty Gallagher the main man as Coleraine pick up point at Linfield

Gallagher was only given the nod after regular shot-stopper Gareth Deane fell ill but he turned in a top-drawer showing to help keep out the hungry Blues.

Both teams approached the game in the best possible shape – Linfield unbeaten in their previous 12 outings and Coleraine not having conceded in their last six league games.

Linfield’s Daniel Finlayson had the best chance of the game in the first half, only to see Gallagher pull off a wonder save.

“Credit to boys they all put in a great shift,” said Kearney. “We’ve been on a great journey over the six or eight weeks and how we’ve gone about our business.

“As much as it was only a point we won, it was the manner how we achieved it really delighted me.

"No-one was sulking because we were missing a few players (also Josh Carson and Conor McDermott).

“The boys who stepped in, did the business...I thought Marty (Gallagher) was exceptional.

"He had a few saves to make and that’s what I wanted to see.

“It was a performance I was proud of, but it’s one that I’ve grown to expect from this group.

"We brought quite a few fans up with us, so it was nice they went home reasonably happy – the boys left everything on the pitch.”

The Blues who had the first sniff at goal on 17 minutes as Jamie Mulgrew took off on a surging right-wing run and Eetu Vertainen’s header flashed just wide off the course.

Then Matty Clarke’s corner-kick found Joel Cooper and he flicked the ball to Vertainen, whose right-footed volley fizzed past the post.

Defender Clarke was next to try his luck after picking up a pass from Chris Shields, he cleverly turned away from Jamie Glackin before screwing his shot from the edge of the box just wide.

Coleraine had Gallagher to thank for keeping the scores level in 32 minutes when he somehow got a glove to Finlayson’s thumping header another wonderful delivery from Clarke.

Cooper then gobbled up a long pass from Finlayson and, after jinking past Aaron Jarvis, cut in from the right but his low drive was easily gathered by Gallagher.

After the restart, Vertainen should really have done better when Mulgrew clipped a great cross to the back post but he could only direct his header wide.

David Healy’s men were right out of luck again on 67 minutes as Cooper tricked and teased his way clear on the right but when his low cross found Robbie McDaid at the back post he failed to hit the target.

And, as the clock ticked down, it was Cooper who almost broke the deadlock on 82 minutes with a blistering drive from the edge of the box that arrowed wide.

PREMIERSHIP (RESULTS): Ballymena United 2 Glentoran 0, Carrick Rangers 0 Crusaders 3, Cliftonville 2 Larne 1, Linfield 0 Coleraine 0, Portadown 0 Dungannon Swifts 0, Newry City v Glenavon (postponed).