Coleraine are up for the fight insists Lyndon Kane

The Bannsiders have defied the odds to finish runners-up in three of the last four seasons.

Lyndon Kane knows this season will be another big test for Oran Kearney’s men given the resources of the teams they will be competing against.

But the defender insists it is a challenging they are relishing.

“It’s probably clear for everyone to see that that’s going to be extremely tough,” said Kane.

“We’re a part-time club and we don’t have a massive squad so it will be tough.

“But one thing about us and we’ve shown over the past four or five seasons is that we never give up, we’re always up for a fight and we enjoy a challenge. Why would you not?

“We probably don’t score an awful lot of goals but we don’t concede an awful lot of goals either.

“We battled last year. The position we got ourselves into last year after the start we had was incredible.

“Hard to describe how we did it.

“Buy you always want to go one better.

“If you don’t have aspirations of winning the league then you shouldn’t be here.”

Coleraine’s task has been made slightly more difficult given their first five league games will be played away from home due to an upgrade of facilities at The Showgrounds.

“A good start is massively important this year,” said Kane.

“It’s a position we find ourselves in because we’re upgrading the pitch, upgrading the changing rooms, which is exciting for the club and great to see.

“Our pitch probably killed us at times. We go to places like Larne etc and do well.

“We still have to make it a hostile atmosphere though.”

During the summer Kane penned a new three-year deal to take him up to a decade of first team action at Coleraine.

Despite only being 24 Kane has a wealth of experience at this level which he is now passing on to the next generation of Showgrounds stars including 16-year-old Patrick Kelly, who has been included in Kearney’s first team squad this season.

“He’s such a great kid,” said Kane. “He’s from Portstewart, travels with me, James McLaughlin and Ian Parkhill from the Coleraine area. Oran put it on us three to look after him.

“I used to coach PK when he was a kid. I saw him at 11/12 and you knew there was a player there.

“Thankfully he’s with us and can kick on – play full-time across the water in England – the talent’s there.

“As a 16-year-old, the amount of confidence he has in his own ability is frightening but it’s great to see as well.

“You get young players that come and train with us and it’s easy to take fear.

“I did the same as well when I was coming through.

“It took me almost a year to come out of my shell and to believe I was good enough, even in training.

“He’s just took it upon himself. I think the first night he tried to nutmeg three or four players.

“He’s got the confidence in his own ability where he believes that he’s good enough.

“Hopefully he’s a secret weapon – that’s what your looking for.

“The manager’s looking for that gem. He had the likes of myself, Brad, Adam Mullan and Jamie came through at the one time.

“We got lucky at that stage because it’s very rare get so many coming through one time. If you can get one every year or every other year that’s brilliant.”