Conor McMenamin's Departure and New Signings for Coleraine

Ruaidhri Higgins leans back, accepts the award for August’s manager of the month, and talks about a player who is no longer his.

Conor McMenamin’s time at Coleraine lasted 10 weeks. It never truly began.

McMenamin move “best for everyone”

The Northern Ireland winger arrived from St Mirren in June, billed as a marquee addition for a club pushing hard at the top end of the Irish Premiership. By deadline day, he was gone, making a surprise switch to rivals Glentoran, with midfielder Joe Thomson heading the other way.

McMenamin summed it up simply: “It wasn’t meant to be” at Coleraine.

Higgins doesn’t argue.

“Sometimes in football and just life in general, things don't go as expected or according to plan,” he said. “It's certainly not a personal issue with Conor at all.”

This was not a falling-out. It was a grind. McMenamin, 31, never relocated from Downpatrick to the north coast. The daily commute – roughly 75 miles, about 90 minutes each way – quickly turned from commitment into burden.

Higgins understood the strain.

He called that drive “not sustainable” and revealed the pair had been talking regularly over recent weeks before agreeing to part.

“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.”

Family and personal matters weighed heavily on McMenamin’s decision. Coleraine lose a proven Premiership attacker, Glentoran gain one, and Higgins moves on quickly to the players who are still in his dressing room.

Thomson brings bite and legs

If McMenamin’s exit grabbed the headlines, Thomson’s arrival might shape Coleraine’s season.

Injuries to Mark Coyle and Rowan McDonald had left the Bannsiders light in central midfield. Thomson, who worked under Higgins at Derry City, drops straight into that gap 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,” Higgins said.

He knows exactly what he is buying.

“He's very much box-to-box and all-action, and I've worked with him before so I know what I'm getting.”

Coleraine needed legs, aggression, and a threat breaking from deep. Thomson offers all three, and at a club with rising expectations, there is little room for passengers in the middle of the pitch.

Brooks the “investment” up front

Deadline day at the Showgrounds did not stop with the McMenamin-Thomson swap.

Coleraine also moved for Adam Brooks from Crusaders, a 22-year-old Scottish forward who has been on Higgins’ radar for some time. The former Celtic striker spent much of last season out wide at Seaview, but still started this campaign strongly and hit a hat-trick in a 3-2 win over Portadown.

Higgins had seen enough.

“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,” he said.

That versatility in front of goal is matched by sharp movement and awareness.

“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 remembers one particular outing for Crusaders at Portadown last season.

“I watched Brooks for Crusaders at Portadown last season and 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.”

For a club that has moved to full-time football and is planning beyond the next result, Brooks is more than a short-term fix. He is a project, and potentially a profit.

Chasing history in a centenary year

The ambition around Coleraine is clear. Last season they finished just three points behind eventual champions Larne after a powerful late surge. Investment has gone in, the club is full-time, and the expectation has risen with it.

The Gibson Cup is no longer a distant dream. It is a target.

Coleraine’s only league title came in 1974. If they can win a second, it would arrive in the club’s centenary year. The symmetry is impossible to ignore.

“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.

He does not hide from the pressure. He invites it.

“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, he is backing up those words. Coleraine are unbeaten after four league games, with three wins and a draw – the point coming against champions Larne – and three clean sheets in that run.

Higgins is enjoying it.

He calls himself “very lucky” and says he is “loving” being at Coleraine. The work, the standards, the daily rhythm of a squad that believes it can do something special.

“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 Crusaders away on Saturday evening, a 18:00 BST kick-off and a quick reunion with Brooks’ former club.

The commute has ended for McMenamin. For Higgins and Coleraine, the journey is only getting started.