Coleraine suffer Coyle ACL injury setback

Coleraine have suffered a major setback with the news that club captain Mark Coyle faces a significant spell on the sidelines after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in his side's 5-0 Uefa Conference League second qualifying round first leg defeat by HJK Helsinki last week. The results of a scan confirmed the serious knee injury for the 29-year-old defensive midfielder, who joined the Bannsiders from Shelbourne in the January transfer window. A statement from Coleraine read: "Our medical and performanmce staff will work closely with Mark throughout his rehabilitation, ensuring he receives the highest level of care and support during his recovery. "Everyone at the club is naturally disappointed for Mark who is expected to face an unconfirmed period on the sidelines." Coyle had two spells at League of Ireland side Finn Harps, before signing for Shelbourne in 2021. The Letterkenny man won the 2024 League of Ireland Premier Division title with Shels and was an ever present in the club's 2025–26 Uefa Conference League campaign in which they reached the league phase for the first time in their history. After joining Coleraine, he helped secure the Irish Cup with Ruaidhri Higgins' team in May. On a more positive note, defender Aidan Wilson, who was carried off in the first leg in Helsinki, was not seriously injured, and is expected to be available for Thursday's second leg at Inver Park.