Coleraine boss Oran Kearney has voiced his discontent at the Ballycastle Road club's congested fixture schedule which means a rapid turnaround for Friday night’s Irish Cup tie with Cliftonville at Solitude.
The Bannsiders played Larne in a Danske Bank Premiership game on Tuesday night, just three days before facing one of the league's form teams in the blue riband quarter-finals.
The Larne game was originally scheduled for March 12, but was shifted to Tuesday due to Coleraine’s participation in the BetMcLean League Cup final on March 13.
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And Kearney believes the rejig has put the Bannsiders at a disadvantage heading into Friday’s last-eight tie which was brought forward a day to accommodate live coverage on the BBC iPlayer.
“I’ll say it now because I wouldn’t have said it before the Larne game, but I do have a grievance that we had to play on a Tuesday night ahead of such a big Irish Cup tie,” he said.
“The Irish Cup for me was always about having a free week in the build-up, particularly when you’re talking about the quarter-final or semi-final of an important competition.
“Add in the fact the tie was moved forward to Friday night for television and it means we’re heading into the tie preparing to play our third game in six or seven days.
“Listen, I don’t mind if the other team is doing the same, but when we’re playing midweek and Cliftonville aren’t... well, I don't know. It’s frustrating.
“There were numerous other Tuesday nights where the Larne game could have been slotted into the schedule and I’m just not sure why it was slotted in this week.
“I don’t want to overthink it too much. All I can say is it’s frustrating.”
Friday night's last-eight tie is a rerun of the 2018 Irish Cup final when Coleraine beat Cliftonville 3-1 in the showpiece at Windsor Park.
The Reds, who lie second in the Danske Bank Premiership, are unbeaten in three league outings against Coleraine this season, winning the last meeting between the teams 2-0 at Solitude three weeks ago.
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