Coleraine manager Ruaidhri Higgins said his side “scored some really good goals” in their 4-0 Irish Cup fifth round win over the Crusaders at the Coleraine Showgrounds.
After a goalless first half, Brendan Hamilton was sent off straight after the restart, with Mark Connolly breaking the deadlock from the resulting free-kick.
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Will Patching, James Akintunde and Joel Cooper then scored to give the home side a comfortable advantage and secure their place in the sixth round.
“It turned out to be a good night for us,” Higgins told BBC Sport NI.
“We weren’t brilliant in the first half, but we looked like the team that looked like we were going to take the lead, so I was pretty happy.
“The sending off came at a very good time for us and we scored from a free kick so from then on it was going to be difficult for the Crusaders. We remained professional and scored some very good goals.”
January signings Connolly and Akintunde have made an instant impact since joining the club, both scoring in their second appearance.
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The victory means the Bannsiders return to winning ways after a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Larne in the Irish Premiership last weekend, with Higgins adding that the team is improving.
“Connolly has that aggression and desire to win football games,” he continued.
“We’re getting closer to what we wanted to look like and what we think will contribute to the success of this club.
“Look, we just keep tuning in and try to keep trying to win football games.”
