Oran Kearney feels 'fine margins' decided derby clash with 'team full of superstars'

The Sky Blues responded in fine fashion to falling 2-0 behind against their rivals with James Hood and Chris McKee netting second half goals.

However, Coleraine secured maximum points with just five minutes left to play as Aidan Wilson rose highest to head home Ben Doherty’s corner.

Coleraine sit top of the Premiership table after putting together a six-game unbeaten run at the start of this season and entered the campaign as title favourites with bookmakers.

Kearney made three changes to his side which drew 2-2 with Bangor – Matthew Clarke and Charlie Allen both picked up injuries at Clandeboye Park – and tactical adjustments as they prepared to face the Irish League’s in-form team.

"The thinking (behind team set-up) is you're playing a team full of superstars and players who can hurt you from all directions,” he told the club’s media channel. “If you don't pay credence to that, you could come here and be on the wrong end of a really tough night.

"We had to put a huge amount of thought into how we approached it to make sure we wouldn't be cannon fodder or pinned in for large periods, which we were able to do. It's the fine margins.

"It's hard to take, but when the dust settles and you look at what they've amassed, the quality of players and full-time, and you look at how they've started the season, there'll be plenty of teams who come here and are cannon fodder.

"We more than held our own in the first half...James probably has two chances, they have two moments and it puts us behind.

"The most pleasing thing for us is the response, the lads didn't panic, they stuck to their guns and did what we asked them to do.

"We get a really good goal and we push and push and win our penalty which Chris executes.

"It feels we're in as good a place as they are and it's just frustrating at the end to lose in that way, that late."