IRISH LEAGUE: Reds and Mallards searching for points

Gerard Lyttle’s Reds have been in good form of late and saw off Portadown in their last league outing with ease with a good performance at Solitude.

Goals from Jude Winchester, Jay Donnelly and Christopher Curran sealed the three points for the Solitude outfit and they will be looking to get another three on the board against the Mallards.

Lyttle’s men sit third in the league table behind leaders Crusaders and second placed Linfield.

The Crues may be out of their reach but Lyttle’s men - with a little bit of luck - could still catch the Blues for second and they will know that they have to get something from Saturday’s trip to United.

The Mallards on the other hand are sitting in tenth on 26 points and they will be hoping to get something from this home tie so as to stay well away from the clutches of Carrick Rangers and Portadown at the bottom of the table.

The Mallards were 1-0 winners against Glentoran in their last league match at the Oval.

A goal from Ryan Mayse in the first half sealed the win for Gavin Dykes side who have been playing some good stuff this season but sadly they seem to lack a cutting edge when the going gets tough.

But they are hard to beat on their home patch and Dykes will be hoping his side can get the job done against a determined and focused Cliftonville outfit on Saturday.