Ballymena United manager Oran Kearney commended Kian Corbally and Daire O’Connor for their exceptional performances in the Sky Blues’ 2-0 Boxing Day derby victory against Coleraine.
Corbally assisted both of O’Connor’s goals, marking Kearney’s first win as Ballymena’s manager against his previous club.
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Kearney expressed that his team “probably deserved” the win, which snapped their five-match winless streak.
“Every player put in an outstanding effort. Coleraine also faced injury challenges, but we had 10 or 11 players unavailable. That complicates things, but we must adapt to handle that,” Kearney told BBC Sport NI.
“I thought Kian was the closest we had to a striker today. His intelligence and ability to find good positions were impressive, and the passes he made for the goals were superb. I’m thrilled for him and for Daire too; we’re finally seeing him getting back to full fitness.”
“He’s nearing the point where he can complete 90 minutes without cramping, and he’s been a valuable contributor, scoring key goals in recent weeks.”
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This victory brought the Sky Blues within five points of sixth-placed Cliftonville. With upcoming matches against Bangor on Tuesday and bottom-placed Glenavon on Saturday, January 3, Kearney hopes to build momentum and close the gap to the top half of the table.
“The three points were crucial, and that’s the most rewarding part of it all. We began with a loss, followed by a draw last week, but we’re focused on climbing the table and aiming for a shot at the top six,” he added.
“We need to build on this success; we’ve set a higher standard, and now we need to strive for that level of performance in every game.”