Irish eyes to smile on Saints?

Kearney would come highly recommended

Coleraine boss Oran Kearney has been backed to be a success at St Mirren should he land the job following an interview.

The 39-year-old schoolteacher from Ballymoney is one of four gaffers sitting down with the Buddies board over the course of this week.

Kearney’s name came out of left field at the end of last week after being recommended to the Saints board by Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill.

But having been crowned Manager of the Year at the Northern Ireland Football Awards, having led the Bannsiders to Irish Cup glory, and finishing runners-up in the Danske Bank Premiership, Coleraine Chronicle sports reporter Damian Mullen reckons Saints should look no further than his countryman.

Coleraine came within three league points of securing an historic double at the end of a campaign in which they suffered Premiership defeat only once.

Mullen revealed that the recent success is all down to the hard work behind the scenes over the course of Kearney’s seven years in charge.

He told Express Sport: “Oran is a very highly-regarded manager here in Northern Ireland and that is all down to the work he has had to do at Coleraine.

“He has been in charge here for a long time but he is a very driven individual and the silverware that the club has lifted this year is a reward and culmination of all the work that he has put in behind the scenes.

“When he got the job, he asked for patience and warned that it would be a long process if he was to achieve what he wanted to at the club.

“He has done that and the club have been rewarded in recent years with cup finals, trophies and almost winning the title this season.

“The most impressive thing is that he has done that with a squad made up mostly of players from the youth sides and the local area. That would surely appeal to the St Mirren board, considering their history of doing the same.

“He is a very popular figure and knows how to deal with the players, the press and the supporters. He is a schoolteacher at a local secondary school near Coleraine, and you can tell because he is a very organised individual as a result.

“From what I have heard about Jack Ross, Oran is very much in the same mould in the way that he is organised, brings through the youth, and is great to deal with on a personal level. I think the St Mirren board will be very impressed when they sit down and talk to him.”

Kearney was forced to hang up his boots at the age of 30 following successive knee injuries.

A highly- regard player from his days with Linfield, the midfielder won everything there is to win as a player in Northern Ireland.

He took up the reins at Limavady United upon his retirement, before moving to Coleraine two years later.

Bannsiders chairman Colin McKendry confirmed he had given his man permission to speak to the Paisley side.

He said: “St Mirren approached me during the week and asked to speak to Oran. I gave them permission

“I would love to keep him at Coleraine, but this would be a big opportunity and we wouldn’t stand in his way.

“I have no doubt Oran would be a success in Scotland.”