Roy Coyle's side came close early on through a Damien Curran effort which forced Bannsiders keeper David O'Hare into pushing the ball around the upright.

Not long after at the other end Coleraine created their best effort of the first half when Darren Boyce fired over from a Darren Cassidy cross.

Newry responded through Kevin Keegan but his effort was blocked by O'Hare while later in the half Damien Whitehead directed a looping header a fraction over the target.

The deadlock was finally broken 17 minutes from time when new Newry signing, Karl Bermingham, marked his debut with the opening goal when he got on the end of a Keegan cross to despatch a low shot past O'Hare.

However the visitors responded just six minutes later through Whitehead who met a Tommy McCallion free-kick with a header.