Every so often a club seems to develop a certain penchant for a particular competition and, for Coleraine, that seems to be the case with the League Cup in recent years.

The Bannsiders have reached their third consecutive final (notwithstanding the season lost due to Covid restrictions), having won in 2020 and lost in heartbreaking circumstances twelve months ago.

Prior to that Coleraine had lifted the trophy on just one previous occasion, but had finished runners-up an agonising five times. Indeed they are, by some distance, the most successful provincial club in the history of the competition.

That first win dates back to the 1987/88, and only the second edition of the then fledging competition. Queen's University and Carrick Rangers were accounted for in the early rounds before penalty shoot-out defeats of Ards and Linfield set up a decider against Portadown at The Oval.

Scoreless after 90 minutes, it took a Sammy McQuiston goal on the rebound deep into stoppage time to settle it after an initial effort had been kept out by legendary keeper Mickey Keenan.

It was to be the early 90s before Coleraine reached the final again only to suffer back-to-back defeats to Bangor and Linfield respectively.

Another loss in the final followed in April 2000 when the Bannsiders shipped four goals without reply to Linfield again, and that heralded an almost decade long wait before they had another chance to get their hands on the trophy.

That came in March 2010 when Glentoran were the opponents at Windsor Park. The game got off to a cracking start with Ciaran Martyn lobbing the ball over Davy O'Hare after just six minutes before Darren Boyce levelled just sixty seconds later.

Rory Patterson then finished coolly after half-an-hour to edge Coleraine into the lead, but Colin Nixon nodded Glentoran back onto level terms on the stroke of half-time.

That was how it stayed for the remainder of normal time, and for the entirety of extra-time, before the Glens emerged victorious after the subsequent shoot-out.

Coleraine made another final appearance again a couple of years later but, once more, this ended in defeat after Chris Morrow scored the only goal of the game for opponents Crusaders just after the half-hour mark.

It might have taken a further eight years but revenge was exacted upon the Crues in February 2020 when the Bannsiders eventually got their hands on the trophy for the second time.

The game didn't get off to the best start for Oran Kearney's charges after former club favourite Jamie McGonigle opened the scoring for Crusaders as early as the tenth minute.

However Stephen Lowry levelled from the spot on 37 minutes after Jamie Glackin had been upended by Rodney Brown and Billy Joe Burns. Then, eight minutes after the interval, James McLaughlin headed home the winner after connecting with a corner.

With the competition taking a rest for a year due to the Covid related suspension of football activities Coleraine finally got the chance to mount their defence last season, getting past Bangor, Carrick Rangers, Glentoran and Warrenpoint Town to face Cliftonville in the showdown.

Played on a Sunday - a first - in front of a crowd in excess of 11,000 - a record - it turned out to be a game that will be remembered for years to come ... although maybe not too favourably if you're one of the Ballycastle Road faithful.

Goals from Matthew Shevlin and Lowry either side of the hour put the Bannsiders into a strong position until, with just over a quarter-of-an-hour of normal time remaining, Joe Gormley pulled one back for the Reds.

Even then, it looked like Coleraine had done enough only for Paul O'Neill to pop until in the 90th minute to equalise and force an additional half-an-hour.

Coleraine were reduced to ten men a couple of minutes into extra-time when, following an off the ball incident, McLaughlin was shown a straight red card by referee Andrew Davey.

That proved to be the catalyst for the Reds to push on to secure the win. O'Neill doubled his tally on 104 minutes with a shot high into the roof of the net before, three minutes after that, victory was assured when Gormley also bagged his second of the game with a tap in.

Curtis Allen did add a third for Coleraine right at the end but by then there was no way back.

Coleraine face Linfield in this season's BetMcLean Cup final on March 12th at the National Football Stadium (kick-off 3pm). Have you got your tickets yet? Buy now at nifootballleague.com/tickets