Winkie Murphy the latest high-profile exit from Coleraine as rebuilding continues

It continues to be a summer of major change at Coleraine as Assistant Manager Winkie Murphy becomes the latest departure from The Showgrounds. Following the club's decision to move to a full-time model for next season long-serving boss Oran Kearney has moved upstairs becoming the Bannsiders' first-ever Sporting Director.

Dean Shiels, who was part of Kearney's backroom team, has since taken over the role of Head Coach. The changes have continued to come however numerous playing staff all leaving the club.

Midfielder Josh Carson has been the most high-profile departure in the playing squad as he made the switch to rivals Ballymena United. Aaron Jarvis has joined him there while the likes of Lee McLaughlin, Conor McKendry, Kieran Farren, Stephen Lowry, Marty Gallagher, Rodney Brown, Adam Mullan and Jake Wallace have also exited The Showgrounds.

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Murphy's departure is a massive one in terms of the coaching set-up. The former Linfield defender, who won everything in the game, joined the Bannsiders coaching set-up in 2015 and remained in the backroom team under Rodney McAree following Kearney's departure to St Mirren in 2018.

Murphy, who played alongside Kearney at Windsor Park, helped shape Coleraine and played a part in their Irish Cup and League Cup successes in recent years. But his time on the Ballycastle Road has come to an end after nine years with the club thanking him for his contribution down the years.

A statement on the Bannsiders' social media pages read: "Coleraine football Club announce that William Murphy has left his role as assistant manager after nine years of service. Everyone at Coleraine wishes Winkie all the best and offers up a massive thank you knowing he will be missed by fans and players alike."

At this stage Junior Mendes [Head of Performance] and Michael Doherty [Goalkeeping Coach] remain in the coaching set-up. It's understood Shiels will be looking to add to his backroom team, however player recruitment is the priority at the moment given the high turnover in playing staff with pre-season training set to get underway at the end of June.

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