BY MATTHEW WILSON
DONEGAL’S Mark Coyle is enjoying his start to life at Coleraine as the club bid to end a 52-year wait for an Irish Premiership title.
Mark Coyle put pen to paper at Coleraine at the turn of the year, linking up with the NIFL Premiership side having spent the last four seasons at Shelbourne.
Speaking to the Donegal News, the Donegal man stated that he’s settling in well at the club, with everyone welcoming him upon his arrival.
“It’s been very good, a lot of aspects of the club have impressed me. It’s a well-run club, a good owner, I really like the manager and the lads have been very good with me as well.
“I’ve settled in well to be honest and I’ve been enjoying it.”
It was a big move for Coyle, leaving Shelbourne where he spent four seasons and served as the club captain at Tolka Park.
However, the Burt native expressed his desire to move back north to Donegal and discussions with Coleraine manager, Ruaidhri Higgins, helped him to make the decision to switch to the Derry outfit.
“It was a multiple of things really. I knew that I wanted to get home anyway, I’m living back at home which was a big part of it.
“I’d say from chatting to the gaffer, Ruaidhri (Higgins), I was excited about what he was telling me and the project that he had there. There’s a lot of good things about the club and what they want to achieve.
“A big part of it too was playing for a manager that really wanted me and back playing regular football in the middle of the park was another part of it.”
Having lined out for Finn Harps between 2018 and 2021, the Burt man moved to the capital where he enjoyed a successful four years at Shelbourne under the management of Damien Duff
The pinnacle of his time at the Tolka Park residents arrived in 2024, captaining the club to their first Premier Division title since 2006 while also being named in the League of Ireland Premier Division Team of the Season.
Last year, Shels went on to qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League which saw Coyle lead the side out for contests against the likes of Crystal Palace and AZ Alkmaar among other teams.
It will be a time of his career that he’ll remember fondly and the appreciation he received from the club upon his departure helped him to gain closure at the end of this journey.
“It’s a special club and a club that I’ll always hold close to me for the rest of my life and my family too. There’s a lot of good people at the club from the owners, the CEO right down to the players that I played with.
“The way we managed to win the league under Duff was a huge part of it, all of them are memories that’ll last with you for a lifetime.
“I knew that if I went back there then I’d be welcomed back with open arms by the owners, the fans and the players, for me that’s a huge part of it.
“Leaving the club, the amount of messages I got from all those people was special and helped in a way to close that chapter because I knew that what they meant to me was reciprocated.”
Since the former Finn Harps and Shelbourne player commenced life at The Showgrounds, they’ve enjoyed a good run of form on the pitch.
A run of six league games without defeat sees Coleraine sit second in the league table, three points of leaders Larne, and also have an Irish Cup quarter-final against Limavady to look forward to.
The Burt man expressed that things are going well at the minute but insisted that they’re remaining grounded, with a number of top teams surrounding them in the league standings.
“We’ve a great squad, we’ve a lot of good players and a lot of good match winners. I started off with a 4-0 and 5-1 win and I was hoping that It’d keep going but it’s gotten a lot tougher I’d say.
“We’re going well, we’re on a good run of form but we know that Larne and the likes of Glentoran and Linfield are coming hard as well.
“There’s a long way to go and a lot to play for but it’s that old saying, we’ll take it one game at a time. We won’t get ahead of ourselves because we’re that far off Larne and they’ve games in hand. Teams behind us also have games in hand so all we can do is take care of our own business.
“We’ve got a tasty cup tie coming up against Limavady which is also a derby. I’m learning things about the league like that so I’m looking forward to playing that as well.”
An Irish Premiership title this term would be a significant feat for the Derry outfit and would end a 52-year wait to clinch one, with their last triumph occurring back in 1974.
Having been a key cog in Shelbourne’s league success in 2024, the chance to play a part in this potential moment in Coleraine’s history was also fuel for Coyle to join the club.
Although as he has stated, there’s still a portion of the season yet to be played and therefore they’ll be focusing on the next test that lies ahead.
“One hundred percent, I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t another part of me joining. I went to Shels when there wasn’t any sign of them winning anything and we won the league for the first time in 18 years.
“If I can go and do something similar with Coleraine, for me on a personal side there’d be nothing that’d mean more to me.
“It’s definitely something that’s in our heads but it’ll be difficult, especially this year so we’ll see how things plan out.”
