Danske Bank Premiership: Coleraine v Glentoran (today, 3pm, Coleraine Showgrounds)
WITH his goal against Linfield two weeks ago, Jamie McGonigle completed an astonishing record of having scored against every club in the top flight at the age of 21.
Little wonder, then, that Coleraine moved quickly to offer him a one-year contract extension that he signed earlier this week.
His age and his form could make him a prime target for a bigger fish somewhere down the line but he is quite happy where he’s at for now.
”All the other young lads being tied down now to 2020 also was a bit factor for me. There wasn’t really any other offers that were tempting as Coleraine is a great club and don’t really see who else I would move to in this league.
”Obviously with a chance of full time across the water you would have to consider it as it is a massive opportunity that may not come again.
“And yeah obviously you hear things and get phone calls about rumours and stuff but my out don’t really take any of that on. “
Whether that goal against Linfield, which brought him into such vaunted company, had crossed the line created a bit of debate in the aftermath.
McGonigle’s tweet referencing Roy Carroll’s infamous spill over the line against Tottenham at Old Trafford created a bit of a social media storm.
It led to a bit of flak for the Dungiven man but it was all very much in jest.
“It was tweeted as a bit of craic but meant no disrespect to Roy or his achievements.
“A few caught on to the joke and liked it, others not so much and I got a lot of abuse for it.
“But it was all fun and light hearted and I think the majority realised that.”
He has been one of the Bannsiders’ brightest starlets in a side that has taken the Premiership by storm at the start of this season to sit five points clear and unbeaten after 11 games.
Their start to last season wasn’t quite of this ilk but it was impressive nonetheless, up until they hit a six-game winless streak over the Christmas period.
It was McGonigle who brought them out of that funk with two goals against Carrick Rangers at the turn of the year, but by then their outside chance of challenging for the title was dead.
Having won ten and drawn one of their first 11 games this season, the young striker says he and his team-mates are full of confidence as they prepare to host Glentoran later today.
“That run [last winter] is done and dusted. We then went on a 17 game unbeaten run. There is no reason for us to think about that, it’s a new season, we’re full of confidence, so we won’t be thinking about anything like that.
”We never really have and never will think too far ahead of ourselves. We have set team targets within the changing room and we are concentrating looking after ourselves first and everything else will fall in after.”
