Coleraine manager Ruaidhrí Higgins said his side “contributed” to their own downfall after Thursday’s 5-0 away defeat by HJK in the first leg of their Uefa Conference League second qualifying round tie. The Bannsiders were two down at the break through goals from Liam Moller and Pyry Mentu, while Toivo Mero added a third early in the second half before a quickfire brace by Teemu Pukki completed the rout.
Higgins said he was disappointed with the manner of the defeat but had no complaints, as Coleraine now face a mountain to climb in next week’s second leg at home.
What did Higgins make of the goals Coleraine conceded?
Higgins said the timing and nature of the goals were especially frustrating, and he accepted responsibility on behalf of his players.
“The manner of the goals we gave away and the timing were extremely disappointing,” Higgins told Coleraine TV.
“We contributed to a lot of their goals and that's on us, so we have to accept it.”
The result left Coleraine with little room for error in the return leg, where they will need a major turnaround to stay in the competition.
How did injuries affect Coleraine’s night?
The match became worse for Coleraine when Aidan Wilson and Mark Coyle were forced off with what Higgins described as “serious injuries”. Their departures added to an already difficult evening for the Northern Irish side.
Higgins said he was not using injuries or his team’s fitness levels being below HJK, who are in the middle of their domestic campaign, as an excuse.
“They are in their prime of fitness and we're just searching for fitness,” he offered.
“Lads like [Joel] Cooper and [Will] Patching have had very little football in pre-season. Cameron Stewart picked up an injury last week, then two defensive-minded players like Aidan Wilson and Mark Coyle pick up what looks like serious injuries.
“We were a bit makeshift, a bit disjointed, but we still have to do better as they didn't have to do much to score their goals.
“We have to learn from that and learn fast, take it on the chin and try to move on as fast as we can.”
Higgins said Coleraine were below HJK in fitness, with the Finnish side in the middle of their domestic campaign, but stressed that this did not excuse the performance. He added that players including Joel Cooper and Will Patching had had very little football in pre-season, while Cameron Stewart had picked up an injury the previous week.
He said the injuries to Aidan Wilson and Mark Coyle left Coleraine “a bit makeshift, a bit disjointed”, but reiterated that his side still needed to be better because HJK “didn't have to do much to score their goals”.
What happens next?
Coleraine will host the second leg next week and will need to recover from Thursday’s heavy loss if they are to keep their Uefa Conference League campaign alive. Higgins said the team must take the defeat on the chin, learn from it and move on as quickly as possible.
Key Facts
- Coleraine lost 5-0 away to HJK on Thursday in the first leg of their Uefa Conference League second qualifying round tie.
- HJK led 2-0 at half-time through Liam Moller and Pyry Mentu.
- Toivo Mero scored early in the second half, before Teemu Pukki added two more goals.
- Aidan Wilson and Mark Coyle were forced off with what Ruaidhrí Higgins described as serious injuries.
- The second leg will be played at home next week.
