'Premiership will be stronger this year' - Higgins

Coleraine manager Ruaidhri Higgins said his side want “more success” in this year’s Irish Premiership.

The Bannsiders won the Irish Cup last season and came second in the Irish League by three points.

It has been an impressive summer transfer window for Higgins’ side who have signed Northern Ireland international Conor McMenamin as well as Derry City’s Ben Doherty.

“When you look at some of the signings the so-called bottom six clubs are making, it is going to be an even stronger league I feel this year and extremely competitive,” Higgins told BBC Sport NI.

“When you hear people writing off Linfield, I think that is very, very naive. Larne are the reigning champions and deserve respect and Glentoran will be really, really strong again and then you have the really competitive teams outside of them as well.

“Cliftonville, Ballymena, you look at their recruitment, and Dungannon, they are always difficult to beat. I am leaving clubs out and you look last year we went to Bangor and lost so any given day you can get turned over by anyone if you are off it.”

The Bannsiders have struggled so far this year and were defeated by Larne in the Charity Shield before being beaten in Europe 8-0 on aggregate by HJK Helsinki.

However, there is much anticipation around what the squad can do in the Premiership and Higgins said his side will not “shy away from that”.

“What is the point of trying to manage expectations, it is going to be there we have obviously assembled a really good squad, and the investment has been there a couple years,” he continued.

“We are not going to shy away from it, it is part of clubs that want and strive for success. We had a taste of it last year with the Irish Cup and went close in the league and want more success.

“We want more and we have to embrace it and enjoy it and see what we can deliver this year.”