In truth, this was a very disapointing game with neither side performing to anywhere near their full capability. The first half in particular was almost entirely devoid of incident, without a single save of note by either goalkeeper. The closest either side came to breaking the deadlock in the first period was when Richie Barker tried to latch onto a low cross from the right, only for the visiting defence to scramble the ball away. This had followed an off-target effort from the impressive Eamon Doherty after 5 minutes, which proved to be Coleraine's best attempt of the period.

The second half saw the game open up somewhat, and Coleraine began to take control with both McKeever and Shipp going close - McKeever flashing a low drive which was beaten out by Lance Key, and Danny Shipp shooting just wide. If either team was going to break the deadlock, it was always going to be the visitors - and so it proved on 68 minutes. Danny Shipp and Conor McKeever combined well on the edge of the penalty area, and when Coleraine old boy Graeme Philson made a mess of McKeever's low cross, top scorer David McCallan was on hand to fire high into the net from close range. This mistake capped a nightmare display for Philson, making his Linfield debut following his loan signing from West Ham. He never looked comfortable with the pace of the game, and frequently misdirected headers and passes. The goal stirred Linfield into life, but despite frantic efforts, they failed to create any chances of note. Indeed Coleraine could easily have added to their score - first when the busy Danny Shipp shot wide, and finally when Conor McKeever handled while Lance Key struggled to regain his ground after going forward for a corner. Linfield did have the ball in the net once - only to be recalled for one of many offside decisions, but Coleraine held on for a well-deserved victory.

1. Wes Lamont

Hardly troubled in the entire 90 minutes. (7)

2. Oliver McAuley

Most of Linfield's best moments (and there weren't many of those) came down the right wing, so he didn't see too much of the action; but the most consistant full-back in the league remained unruffled throughout. (7)

3. Robbie Brunton

Coped well with the threat of McBride, although he was caught out occasionally (7)

4. Brendan Aspinall

An excellent display. The stand-in skipper was strong in the tackle and confidednt in the air. (8)

5. Paul Gaston

The usual assured display. (7)

6. Eamon Doherty

Man of the Match. Doc's best performance since his return from injury saw him dominate the midfield area. If this rate of improvement is maintained, then a return to his sparklink early-season form cannot be far away. (8)

7. David McCallan

Tireless work rate and showed his poacher's instinct to plunder the vital goal. (7)

8. Greg O'Dowd

Greg seems to be in the wars each time he visits Windsor, but his contribution on the right wing was an important ingredient of a vital victory. He visibly grew in confidence as the match progressed, and appeared to be toying with the opposition before his nasty-loking injury. (8)

9. Danny Shipp

Another excellent performance. Danny has now settled into the team pattern, and has developed a good understanding with Greg O'Dowd and David McCallan. (7)

10. Conor McKeever

An impressive return to first-team action. Conor was instrumental in the winning goal, and showed great tenacity throughout the game. (8)

11. Stephen Young

A strong presence in the midfield. Goosey played the 'minder' role, allowing Eamon the freedom to probe the Linfield defence. (7)

sub Michael Surgeon (for O'Dowd)

Didn't have enough time to make an impact. (-)