Jim Magilton felt Cliftonville 'had an awful lot of making up to do' to club's supporters ahead of Glentoran triumph
Cliftonville manager Jim Magilton felt his side “had an awful lot of making up to do” to the club’s supporters heading into Friday’s Premiership clash with Glentoran where goals from Ryan Curran and Jack Keaney sealed a 2-0 success for the Reds.
Magilton’s men were coming off the back of a 3-1 defeat to in-form Glenavon at Mourneview Park but have strengthened their push for a top-six finish after ending the Glens’ 16-game unbeaten run across all competitions in what was a dress rehearsal for next month’s BetMcLean Cup final showdown.
Solitude has once again been a happy hunting ground for Cliftonville this season with only runaway league leaders Linfield (36) collecting more points on home turf than the North Belfast outfit (27).
While they sit second on the home form table, Magilton’s side are ninth when it comes to amassing points on the road, winning just four of 15 away matches this term – a record which the former Northern Ireland international will be looking to improve upon in the final fixtures before the split with upcoming trips to Ballymena United and Coleraine.
With the Irish Cup, BetMcLean Cup and qualifying for European football all still on the table, Cliftonville could have another memorable season, but Magilton was solely focused on a response.
“It was the best response we could have given in terms of letting ourselves down last week and letting our fans down last week,” he told the club’s website. “We had an awful lot of making up to do and this week, the appetite of the players, their attitude to training and their application in the game was wonderful.
“Both teams cancelled each other out to a large extent in the first-half, but we showed a great desire to win the game and the three points were huge for us.
“We had to dig in at times, especially at the start of the second half.
“We talk about starting well in games and starting well in the second half and then we go and nearly shoot ourselves in the foot.
"Lewis (Ridd) makes a great save and then Harry Wilson’s block is sensational and that was probably pivotal.
“Moments in games count and had Glentoran gone ahead, things could have been different because they’ve very good front runners, they’re very disciplined and defensively, they’re very, very sound, so to score two goals in the manner in which we did and take them as clinically as we did, obviously we’re delighted.”