Higgins caps year in charge with 'emotional' cup win

'I think we are capable' - Coleraine eye league success next season

A huge part of Coleraine's success this season has been down to the prolific duo of Matthew Shevlin and Joel Cooper, who fittingly both found the net in the decider, with the former scoring twice.

They both finished on 26 goals in all competitions and Higgins praised both players' attitudes and their sizeable contributions.

"I think that Shevy has a reputation for being Johnny on the spot, being in the right place at the right time, but I have to say his all-round game for me has really developed as the year has gone on. He's selfless and he works extremely hard," Higgins added.

"Sometimes when two players are scoring that amount of goals, it can become an ego thing, but it's actually been the opposite. They're thrilled to bits for each other and love each other's company.

"There's a real, and it's easy saying it after winning a trophy, but there is a really, strong bond in this group. You never know as manager how it's going to go because I only knew a few of them, but I've been so taken aback by how good they are as people first and foremost."

When the party on the north coast eventually starts to tail off, attentions will soon turn to preparing Coleraine for a return to Europe and having a crack at winning the Gibson Cup.

The Bannsiders will enter the Uefa Conference League at the second qualifying round and will hope to take their late season momentum into the next campaign as they look for their first league title since 1974.

Higgins said that they don't need "wholesale changes" following two big windows last summer and in January, but they will look to add a few more to help them push on.

"You look at the top managers in the world, they never just settle whenever they've won a trophy, they go and strike again. We have to be diligent and try and get the the right people into the club," he explained.

"There's huge potential in the group and we've got so many match winners, we've got a lot of experience, we have some outstanding young players, so we have a really good blend in our group.

"We ran it really close this year, maybe if we had started our surge a week or two earlier, you never know.

"When you finish second in the league, the next step is naturally try and win it. There's no guarantees, but I think if you're asking me, is this group capable of going and winning the league I think we are."