Irish Cup win 'first of many' for Coleraine - Kane

Coleraine captain Lyndon Kane said the side are "only going to get better" after securing the Irish Cup for the first time since 2018 with a 3-2 victory over Dungannon Swifts.

Goals from Matthew Shevlin and Joel Cooper put the Bannsiders ahead before Paul Doyle pulled one back for Dungannon.

Shevlin netted his second and Coleraine's third with Swifts substitute Andy Mitchell's goal then setting up an exciting ending, but Ruaidhri Higgins' side were able to hold on for their seventh Irish Cup triumph.

"They say great teams need to win trophies to be great teams, and I think now, I that's the first of many," Kane said.

"I think people will start to stand up and realise that we're not just here this season and we're going to be here for many years, and we're only going to get better.

"The way everyone in the club works from the top down, and the amount of work that the staff put in. They put in endless amounts of work, and I think now we're starting to see the fruits of that."

'I dreamt of this moment from when I started playing for Coleraine'

The trophy is a fitting end to what has been an impressive and memorable year for the Bannsiders.

In December 2024, Coleraine confirmed that Henry Ross had become the club's new majority owner and there has been major changes within the club since including switching to a full-time model and Ruaidhri Higgins being appointed as manager.

During his first full season in charge, Higgins has guided the side to a second-place finish in the Irish Premiership as well as securing silverware with Kane adding that the showpiece decider was "the best day of my life".

"It's unbelievable, I dreamt of this moment from when I started playing for Coleraine," said Kane.

"It's a crazy feeling because I know probably 75% of the people in the stands and I know what it means to the people of the town.

"The numbers that they've turned out today, I think that's the biggest we've ever had. To go over in front of them and to be a Coleraine boy and to be able to do that is probably the best day of my life, to be honest."

Up until this point in his career, Kane has had a challenging time in the Irish Cup after he was ruled out just two weeks before Coleraine's last final triumph in 2018 after injuring his metatarsal.

Kane missed out on a medal after that match at Windsor Park as he was not part of the matchday squad but helped the side make history and lifted the trophy for his local club this year.