KENNY Shiels is aiming to recreate the momentum his Coleraine side gathered after recovering from relegation back in the mid-1990s with current club Morton next season.

The 57-year-old took the reins at the Northern Irish Premier outfit back in December 1994 with the club in a perilous position similar to the one he faced with the Ton this term. Despite his best efforts, Shiels could not prevent Coleraine from dropping down to the newly created second tier.

But he bounced back in spectacular style, guiding his team through a 20-match unbeaten run which saw them win the inaugural Irish League First Division — and promotion — at a canter.

Shiels’ side finished fully 15 points ahead of runners-up Ballymena United while also lifting the Irish News Cup, a trophy competed for by clubs in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

They used that success as a springboard the following season as they came within three points of winning the Premier Division title in their first campaign back in the top flight.

And Shiels hopes that he can mastermind a similar turnaround at Morton after suffering the disappointment of relegation to League One this term.

He told the Tele: “Relegation is disappointing obviously. It’s not something that we want but it’s something that we have to face and deal with, to be professional in how we move things forward.

“Is this the first relegation of my career? Well I had one with Coleraine, where I took over and they were pretty much worse off than Morton were this year.

“I couldn’t save them but I brought them straight back up the next year. I’ve had three promotions into the Irish Premier League in my career as a manager, which is unique with three different clubs.

“That was with Carrick Rangers, Ballymena United, and Coleraine. Two of those — Carrick and Ballymena — were in the division when I took over.

“But the Coleraine situation was a down and up job — relegation followed by a promotion — like this one at Morton.

“It was a rebuild, putting in principles of training methodology and all those things.

“It was hard work, but we got there and walked away with it the next season. We won the league in a very stylish manner. We did really well, playing quality football, and after going up we were within a couple of points of winning the Premier League the following year.

“I can draw on these things, yes. It doesn’t mean it’s going to happen — but that’s where my energies will be.” Shiels insists the obvious first step in fostering a positive atmosphere is by turning around the fortunes on the field. And that is why he is keen to see his side head into the summer on the back of victories in their remaining matches, against Falkirk tomorrow and then Hamilton Accies seven days later.

He added: “Results are the only way to improve the mood at the club.

“You can do things internally to improve the dynamic, but the exterior parts of a club need to see results.

“That’s the final outcome. If we can start to get results then people are more positive about the place.

“We’re playing the top teams in our remaining games, so it’s a difficult situation to try and get those results but we’re working on that.

“We can still have a big say in the title race.

“We have Falkirk and they’re a different type of team [to Dundee]. It will be a difficult game. Then we’ll have Hamilton away.

“We’ve won our last three matches at Cappielow, having kept three clean sheets, and that’s encouraging for next season, certainly.

“Hopefully we can get the building blocks in place — that’s what we need to do.”