Coleraine striker Matthew Shevlin hopes to break new ground in Friday night's Irish Cup quarter-final with high-flying Cliftonville at Solitude.
Shevlin’s impressive 19 goal haul for the season means the 23-year-old has smashed his previous highest tally of nine goals in a campaign
And the former Linfield and Ballymena United forward is now targeting a first ever Irish Cup semi-final when he faces the Reds in North Belfast.
READ MORE: Jim Magilton opens up on Dundalk experience and 'no regrets' mantra
The furthest Shevlin has gone in the blue riband competition was a quarter-final defeat with his hometown club Ballymena in 2018.
“I came on as a substitute in a 2-1 defeat to Larne,” he said.
“I’ve never gone beyond the quarter-finals and the Irish Cup is a competition I haven’t had any joy in yet, so it would be nice to put that right.”
That might be easier said than done against a Cliftonville side who lie second in the Danske Bank Premiership and have won 18 of their 22 home games in all competitions this season.
The Reds, fresh from last Saturday’s North Belfast derby win over Crusaders, are also the only top flight side Coleraine have failed to beat this campaign.
“We’ve played Cliftonville a few times this season and they’ve always given us a tough game,” said Shevlin.
“It’ll be a challenge but we have the quality to go and beat anyone on our day and the incentive is there to make it into the last four."
Shevlin bagged his 19th goal of a productive season when he slotted home a late equaliser in a 1-1 league draw with Larne at the Showgrounds on Tuesday night.
“Right place, right time,” he said. “Josh (Carson) had a shot, the goalkeeper parried and thankfully I was there to put it away.
“It wasn’t our best game and we know we could have done more, but at the end of the day we got a point and we move on."
With nine league games, a League Cup final and at least tonight’s Irish Cup tie to come, Shevlin hopes to add to his tally in the days and weeks ahead.
“Nineteen is my highest return of goals yet and it’s probably my best season in the Irish League so far which I put down to a consistent run of games,” he said.
“At the start of the season I set myself the kind of target most strikers set - 20 goals - and I’m nearly there.
“There are still more games to play and hopefully there are also more goals to come, but I know I have to keep working hard if I want to hit 20 or surpass it.”
READ MORE: Coleraine aggrieved by congested schedule ahead of Irish Cup quarter-final at Solitude
READ MORE: N Ireland manager Ian Baraclough reportedly monitoring international future of Rangers teen
