A goal at the end of each half from strikers Jamie McGonigle and Matthew Shevlin earned Coleraine a hard-earned win over Loughgall.
The hosts broke the deadlock in added time at the end of the first half thanks to a well-taken spot-kick from Jamie McGonigle, his first goal of the new campaign.
Ciaron Harkin was upended as he made his way into the Loughgall penalty area-and referee Evan Boyce pointing immediately to the spot.
McGonigle, making his 200th appearance for the Bannsiders, took the responsibility in the absence of regular penalty taker Matthew Shevlin and blasted the ball high into the roof of the net past a helpless Nathan Gartside.
McGonigle had earlier saw a close-range effort saved by Gartside while Connor Murray’s effort had been disallowed for offside after Cameron Stewart’s long range shot had been saved.
McGonigle failed to reappear after the break, replaced by Matthew Shevlin, and the half-time substitute came close to doubling the home side’s lead on two occasions in the second half.
He failed to keep his attempted lob on target after latching on to a long clearance from Rory Brown and was denied by a smart save low to his right by Gartside 10 minutes from time.
However, the Bannsiders’ leading marksman wasn’t to be denied and in added time he beat Loughgall’s offside trap to race clear and plant a low shot to the bottom corner for his fifth goal of the season.