Cliftonville boss Jim Magilton watched his side come out on top in the battle to break a winless streak and reflected on the welcome success simply as ‘relief’.

With both Magilton’s Reds and Glenavon kicking off at Solitude in search of three points for the first time in the Sports Direct Premiership campaign, the hosts finished smiling off a 3-1 outcome.

Joe Gormley, Harry Wilson and Jonny Addis grabbed the Cliftonville goals – with one Glenavon bonus, at 2-0 down, a first appearance on the scoresheet for Francely Lomboto.

"It's a relief, there's no question about that," said Magilton on BBC Sport NI. "We knew that Glenavon, despite their results, were going to come and play and they did.

placeholder image — Glenavon goalkeeper Jacob Carney's athletic attempt is unable to keep out Harry Wilson's effort during victory for Cliftonville in the Sports Direct Premiership. (Photo by Desmond Loughery/Pacemaker Press)

"We know every game in this league would be a challenge, and they provided that.

"We met it and scored at important times and I'm delighted with three points."

Rory Hale, the Cliftonville captain, adopted a realistic approach to the search for a return to winning ways.

"We haven't had a good start, and we know that collectively," he said on BBC Sport NI. "Today was just about winning and if the performance came with it, happy days.

"It was about getting three points on the board and looking ahead to the next game.

"We're delighted we ended up with both outcomes and delighted with the three points."