Ballymena United goalkeeper David Walsh was targeted by objects thrown from the crowd during a 3-2 defeat to Coleraine earlier this month. The Irish Football Association has now issued Coleraine with a monetary fine for the incident, which occurred in the second half of the match at The Showgrounds.
Coleraine manager Ruaidhri Higgins defended the broader conduct of his club's support after the sanction was confirmed this week. He stressed that the actions of a very small minority should not define the entire fanbase.
Higgins acknowledged the fine but was quick to separate the vast majority of Coleraine supporters from those responsible. "Listen, our supporters I find are extremely respectful," he said. The manager pointed to the large and well-behaved travelling support at last season's Irish Cup final as a more accurate reflection of the club's followers.
"You can't tar them all with the same brush," Higgins insisted, addressing the fallout from the match which was watched by 3,360 spectators.
The incident adds an unwelcome postscript to a tight derby defeat for Ballymena United. The result forms part of a mixed start to the season, with the Sky Blues currently sitting ninth in the Premiership with nine points from eight games. Their recent form shows one win, three draws and one loss from the last five outings.
United will be looking to build on their most recent result, a 2-0 home victory over Portadown, when they travel to face Cliftonville next. The squad, which includes goalscorers from that win like Isaac Rutkowski, will be aiming to climb the standings in the coming weeks.
This story first appeared at newsletter.co.uk
