Glenavon hoping for magic of the Irish Cup but no 'magic wand' behind Paddy McLaughlin's progress

​That’s the view of manager Paddy McLaughlin as he rejects progress across a five-game winning run down to any “magic wand”.

A weekend Irish Cup clash at Solitude will give McLaughlin his first trip back to Cliftonville in a professional capacity since bringing to an end his four-year spell as boss in 2023 for a role with home city club Derry City.

A visit to the Irish Cup holders serves as a demanding route into the quarter-final stages of the domestic game’s knockout showpiece silverware but Glenavon head to Belfast bolstered by an upturn in points and performance levels since McLaughlin’s arrival last November.

Sitting in the relegation zone and four points above basement-based Loughgall at the time of Stephen McDonnell’s exit, McLaughlin’s men now enjoy a position outside the danger area and clear of Carrick by nine.

"It's brilliant for the boys,” said McLaughlin. "There's no magic wand, it's just down to sheer hard work and that fantastic desire to keep the ball out of the net at one end and go and score goals at the other. "It's been fantastic.

“It’s a nice distraction from the league (the Irish Cup) and it will be good to go back to Cliftonville.

“It will be my first trip back, I have been to watch them a few times since I have left.

"And it will be nice to return as it is a brilliant club with brilliant fans who are incredible.

“It was wonderful to see them win the Irish Cup and, as much as I wanted them to win it last year, it’s a different story this time.

“It will be a very tough game as they are very strong at home...we will be doing all we can to progress ourselves.

“When you wait that long for an Irish Cup (45 years) I have no doubt Cliftonville will be fighting hard to keep hold of it.

“We will have to be at our best to get a result, especially at Solitude.

“But we are showing good form and will prepare as normal, we will be ready to go.

“There’s an opportunity there for teams to reach the latter stages.

"If the draw is good to you and you can pull off results along the way then the final could be within reach.

“It will be tough against a strong Cliftonville side but on current form our boys can give them a game and they will be looking forward to it.”

McLaughlin singled out his substitutes for special praise, having watched Paul McGovern climb off the bench last weekend to net an added-time winner over Carrick with his first touch.

"Sometimes people will look at the clock and be disappointed they're not getting on long enough,” said McLaughlin. "He (McGovern) puts that aside and scores the winner.

"Not just him but Rhys Marshall was excellent. "Even against Dungannon Swifts (previous win) the substitutes came on and changed the flow of the game. "So, that's one thing about our substitutions over the last couple of weeks...they've definitely turned the tide and games in our favour.”