Rory Hale no longer ‘60-minute man’ in Cliftonville colours as he targets BetMcLean Cup

Having cemented his place within the Reds’ history books last season in a squad celebrating a first Irish Cup in 45 years, Hale could get his hands on another piece of silverware this weekend with victory over Glentoran.

The forthcoming Windsor Park meeting for a BetMcLean Cup final presents another high-profile stage in which Hale can highlight his professional progress.

“It's brilliant and I think he (Cliftonville boss Jim Magilton) has taken my game up to a different level in the last 18 months,” said Hale. “Him (Magilton), Gerard Lyttle (assistant manager) and Ricky McCann (strength-and-conditioning coach) got me from the 60-minute man that our own fans were calling me...which I didn't like, but it was true.

“They have transformed me into playing 90 minutes every single game now.

“I'm loving it and playing some good football as well.

“It's my first final as captain of Cliftonville, so it's a really important day for me to kick on with my career at the club.

“I won the League Cup final here in 2022 against Coleraine (with Cliftonville) and I lost it against Coleraine in 2020 (with Crusaders).

“I want to get my hands on it again.”

Hale is determined to embrace life on the main stage.

“I think it's about looking back on the experiences of what you did well that day (in big games) and how you dealt with the pressure of the game,” said Hale. “I think the senior lads with the experience last year are definitely going to have to bring that into this cup final.

“In the Irish Cup final, the first 25 or 30 minutes we were all over the place and looked shaken.

“I'm hoping that the experience we have in our group now with Jonny Addis, Joe Gormley – players who have been there and won the trophy – can help our young lads.

“I actually think the young players who played in the final (Irish Cup) like Sean Stewart, Shea Kearney and Odhran Casey can also tap into their experience.

“Jim has put a new mentality into the group, we are doing well in the big games.

“But, of course, there have been inconsistencies this season in the league.

“We want to win as many games as possible...if we win trophies along the way, then happy days.

“It's been a mixed season...the inconsistency has been really poor, to be honest.”

A Sunday showdown against the Glens is one to savour for players and supporters.

“The fans are going to be massive,” said Hale. “I said after the Irish Cup final in May that you couldn't picture walking out there for another final without the build-up, the atmosphere and the sell-out crowd.

“You want that every single time you come into a cup final.

“Luckily enough we are against Glentoran who have one of the biggest fanbases in the country, so it's an amazing occasion to look forward to.

“The crowd that will be there will be absolutely amazing.

“I've friends flying over from England and, hopefully, my brother (ex-Cliftonville player Ronan, now with Ross County in Scotland) and his family can fly over.

“It will just be an amazing occasion for everybody.”

In Cliftonville’s search for improved consistency, Hale accepts enhanced standards across the Irish League.

“It is very competitive and I think a lot of the teams have gotten a lot better and recruited well,” he said. “Dungannon Swifts and Portadown have crawled into the top six this season but then you have teams in the bottom six like Coleraine, Glenavon and Ballymena United who have recruited well.

“They are all playing well and there's not many points between 10th to second...it's just the inconsistency and obviously (league leaders) Linfield have been the most consistent team.”

Hale is looking beyond personal plaudits at Cliftonville’s collective strength for long-term optimism.

“If they (young players) want to go and pursue a career in professional football, there's no better people than Ronan (Hale) and Sean (Moore) who did their trade in the Irish League before doing well in Scotland and England,” he said. "If young Cliftonville players want to look up to those guys and think 'I want to be in Cliftonville's first-team soon', then there's no better role models...

“You then have Shea Kearney and Odhran Casey, who have come through the Academy and cemented themselves as really good, top-talented players.”