Conor McMenamin's Move to Glentoran: A New Chapter for Coleraine
Ruaidhri Higgins has called Conor McMenamin’s short-lived spell at Coleraine “best for everyone” after the winger’s surprise switch to Irish Premiership rivals Glentoran.
McMenamin only arrived at the Showgrounds from St Mirren in June. Ten weeks later he was gone, unveiled at the Oval in a move that stunned plenty around the league and triggered a swap deal that brought midfielder Joe Thomson to Coleraine.
Speaking after his own recognition as August’s manager of the month by the Northern Ireland Football Writers’ Association, Higgins did not argue with McMenamin’s verdict that “it wasn’t meant to be” on the north coast.
“Sometimes in football and just life in general, things don't go as expected or according to plan,” Higgins said. “It's certainly not a personal issue with Conor at all.”
For McMenamin, 31, the issue was as much geography as football. He had already spoken about his inability to commit to relocating from Downpatrick to Coleraine, with family and personal circumstances driving the decision. A daily round trip of roughly 150 miles, about three hours on the road, quickly became a strain.
Higgins understood the reality.
He described the commute from Downpatrick to Coleraine as “not sustainable” and revealed the pair had been in constant dialogue as the situation came to a head.
“Conor and I had regular conversations over the last couple of weeks actually,” he said. “We've come to this conclusion and I think it's best for everyone.”
If McMenamin’s departure created a problem out wide, it also helped solve a more pressing one through the middle. Injuries to Mark Coyle and Rowan McDonald had left Coleraine light in central midfield. Thomson’s arrival plugs that gap and gives Higgins a different tool alongside the likes of Will Patching and Dylan Boyle.
“Joe is so different to the players that we have. He plays with an edge and he has a goal in him,” said Higgins, who knows exactly what he is getting after managing Thomson at Derry City.
“He's very much box-to-box and all-action, and I've worked with him before so I know what I'm getting.”
The deadline-day noise around McMenamin and Thomson might have dominated the headlines, but it wasn’t Coleraine’s only significant move. They also landed Adam Brooks from Crusaders, a signing Higgins has had in mind for some time.
Brooks, a former Celtic striker, spent much of last season operating out wide at Seaview. This term he had burst into the new campaign with real purpose, highlighted by a hat-trick in a 3-2 win over Portadown.
Higgins has been tracking the 22-year-old Scottish forward and believes Coleraine have picked up a major prospect.
“For not the biggest lad in the world he scores good headed goals, with his right foot, left foot, he can score from distance and inside the six yard box,” Higgins said.
“He's got good awareness and so much to his game. I think if he was six foot two he would have never played in this league because he would be somewhere else.
“We see it as an investment and someone we can develop, and I've no doubt that Adam can kick on and once he establishes himself here, it wouldn't surprise me if he went on to another level in the coming years.”
Higgins recalls watching Brooks for Crusaders at Portadown last season and being sold almost instantly.
“Straight away I really liked what I was seeing,” he said. “I know he's a brilliant boy and he played out of position a lot last year, but there's no doubt in my mind that he's a top, top centre forward.”
“He's very like a Robbie Keane sort of mould and that type of centre forward, and there's a lot I like about him.”
All of this sits against a backdrop of rising expectation at the Showgrounds.
Coleraine finished just three points behind eventual champions Larne last season after a powerful late surge. Investment in the club and the move to full-time football have shifted the conversation around the Bannsiders. They are no longer plucky outsiders; they are widely seen as genuine contenders for the Gibson Cup.
The club’s only league title came in 1974. A second would arrive in the centenary year if Higgins’ side can go the distance.
“To me it's trying to win the second league title in the club's history, and it would be extra-special if you could do it in the centenary year,” Higgins said.
“On a daily basis, I put myself under massive pressure and that's why we are here. We want to be part of a successful, ambitious club.”
So far, the pressure is fuelling performances. Coleraine are unbeaten after four games, with three wins and a draw – that point taken off champions Larne – and three clean sheets already banked.
Higgins is enjoying the ride, but he is not getting carried away.
He describes himself as “very lucky” and “loving” life at Coleraine, yet he keeps the message grounded.
“We're obviously really happy with the start, and we're particularly happy with the three clean sheets out of four, and we're scoring goals again which is pleasing,” he said.
“We're four games in, so we'll not get too excited, but the players have been fantastic and it's a joy to work with them and the staff on a daily basis.”
Next up is a trip to Crusaders on Saturday evening. Another test, another chance for Higgins’ reshaped squad to show that McMenamin’s whirlwind exit and the late-window reshuffle have only sharpened their focus on the one prize that really matters.
