Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SOMETHING’STHE GOT TO GIVE.. ..but Baxter insists that win, lose or draw destination of title won’t be decided today
CRUSADERS boss Stephen Baxter believes today’s top of the table clash at the Coleraine Showgrounds will bring an immovable object into contact with an irresistible force.
Oran Kearney’s Bannsiders, who lie a point below the North Belfast men at the top of the Danske Bank Premiership, are unbeaten in 11 home league games this season.
The Crues boast an equally impressive away record in the top flight, winning 11 and drawing one of their 12 league fixtures on the road.
The stats would suggest a nip and tuck tussle lies in store and Baxter wouldn’t be surprised if the biggest game of the season is decided by ‘one moment’. “So many times in the past, I’ve seen an error or a moment of brilliance decide a big game like this,” he said.
“They are so hard to predict and in one instant your plans can change.
“The two teams are evenly matched and Coleraine will be buoyed by the fact they have an impressive home record. They’ve also only lost one league game all season, which is remarkable.
“But equally if you’d told me at the start of the season that come mid January we wouldn’t have lost a league game away from home, I’d have said ‘no, come on’.”
While a win either way will have a major bearing on the complexion of the table, Baxter insists nothing will be decided with 15 games left to play.
He said: “People will bill this as the biggest clash of the season so far, but ultimately there are only three points at stake; so win, lose or draw, it won’t decide too much.
“By the same token, you’d rather be winning it as losing it, so in those terms it’s a big game. I do expect it to be a really tight affair between two very good sides.”
Under Kearney (above) Coleraine have suffered just one defeat in 24 league outings to date, while the Crues head into the game on the back of a three month unbeaten run in all competitions.
Since losing 3-2 to Glenavon (inset) in the league in October the league leaders have won 19 and drawn one of their last 20 fixtures.
“We tend not to get too carried away with league tables or records or runs of form, we’re only focusing on the next game,” insisted Baxter.
“As a manager, it’s very straight forward – you play the next game in front of you. You’re looking for a level of quality in training and who’s ready to play.
“If your big players are fit and fresh that’s a bonus and you want to keep them at it, but we’re taking it one game at a time and not looking three or four games down the schedule.”