People are entitled to voice their opinion and to protest, says Oran Kearney as Coleraine chief believes 'good times' are ahead for the Bannsiders

Kearney’s men controlled large spells of the game but failed to show a killer instinct and were punished as David Cushley and Danny Purkis netted in the second-half for the visitors.

The result also means Coleraine fall down to 8th in the Premiership standings as they now have a serious challenge of preserving their top-six status.

Former Glenavon boss Gary Hamilton told the BBC last week about the effects criticism from the stands had on his family towards the end of his tenure at Mourneview Park and Kearney said he can relate to those comments.

A very small protest was held at The Showgrounds before kick-off on Saturday as fans voiced their anger at Kearney and the Board of Directors at the club.

"People are entitled to their opinion, they're entitled to protest but I watched an interview Gary Hamilton did earlier in the week and there's a lot been made of that kind of stuff that goes around that,” he said.

“Before I'm anything I'm a person, I have a family, I've a wife and kids and everything else.

“There's a huge amount that comes into it when you're looking at scenarios like that but I can guarantee that there's nobody that hurts as much as I hurt.

“I can guarantee you there's nobody gets as little sleep as I get at the minute in relation to trying to crack and get this right.

“We've had a lot of really good times here and really good years over the last years.

“I do believe there's good times ahead as well but just at the minute we're in a sticky position where we ideally need as much support as possible.”

The hosts spurned a glorious chance inside the first-half as Jamie McGonigle was denied when one-on-one with Ross Glendinning and Kearney knew the importance of making the breakthrough in the game.

He added: “I thought, particularly in the first half, we were bright and energetic and created quite a few good opportunities

“Jamie has the big opportunity but it's probably one of those where he has a bit of rustiness having not played for a few months. In a week or two's time, he puts that away with his eyes closed.”