Jim Magilton salutes 'a little bit of magic' as Cliftonville score late to win north Belfast derby
Cliftonville manager Jim Magilton credited his players for going until the very end as Joe Gormley’s late goal earned all three points at north Belfast rivals Crusaders.
Despite creating the majority of the chances, it looked it wasn’t going to be Cliftonville’s night until talisman Gormley lashed home a stoppage-time winner at Seaview.
The three points was Cliftonville’s fourth successive victory in all competitions as they now move into 5th spot in the Sports Direct Premiership.
It marked a bitter blow for Crusaders’ bid to avoid relegation as they now only lead bottom-placed Glenavon by three points ahead of the two teams meeting this weekend.
“We kept going and you have to credit the players for that,” Magilton told Cliftonville’s official website.
“They really kept going right til the end and, when the ball lands with him, there’s just this feeling – he just has this magic… although Addis is claiming it!
“It’s an absolutely great finish and obviously we’re delighted.
“That’s four on the bounce and they’ve been really difficult games. Crusaders are fighting for their lives but we just had a little bit of magic at the end.
“What pleased me most is that we kept going and sometimes you can maybe settle for what you’ve got – we didn’t and tonight was further evidence that the players are responding to the confidence that is seeping through the team and that’s really important.”
Cliftonville would have been forgiven for thinking it wasn’t going to be their night as Adebayo Fapetu had a shot cleared off the line in the first half, with Liam McStravick and Josh Kelly going close after the restart before Gormley’s late heroics.
Magilton added: “I thought we were the team that were on the front foot.
“It’s never easy coming here but I thought we started the game so well.
“We asked questions and probably lacked a little bit of quality in the final third; probably the final pass where we needed a little bit more composure.
“Jonny Addis missed a great chance right at the start of the game with our first free-kick and you’re always wary that if you’re not going to convert those opportunities, the longer the game goes on, given the attacking threat that they possess, you might rue those chances.”