Was game of the season contender a statement from Coleraine?

Ruaidhri Higgins expresses his delight at the manner of his Coleraine side's comeback victory away to Larne. Coleraine fought back from two goals down to beat Larne in a thriller at Inver Park Before kick-off on Friday, Ruaidhri Higgins had said it was too early to be talking about statement victories. But, after a thrilling 3-2 comeback win at title rivals and reigning champions Larne, the Coleraine manager could not help but join in the celebrations in front of the travelling support. Joel Cooper fired home the winner in a game of the season contender at Inver Park as the Bannsiders overturned a two-goal deficit to inflict a first league defeat of the season on the hosts.

The three points move Coleraine six points clear of Linfield, who have two games in hand, and 11 points clear of Larne, who have four extra matches thanks to their European exploits in the summer. While Higgins stopped short of saying it was a statement victory, even in the midst of the jubilation, he could not hide his joy at the character that his side showed. "The manner [of the victory] is the most pleasing thing," Higgins told BBC Sport NI's Jana McCabe. "It makes me feel really proud of the group. When the second goal went in and we're away to the