Jim Magilton: Cliftonville's star man Ben Wilson will only continue to improve

​The 21-year-old pocketed a delightful double as the Reds ran out 2-0 victors against Ballymena United at the Showgrounds on Saturday to take his goal tally to eight so far.

Signed from Brighton over the summer, Wilson has made a decisive impact in his first couple of months at the north Belfast club, but Magilton believes there is more to come.

“Ben has been fantastic since he’s come to the club,” said the former Northern Ireland international midfielder. “I’ve known him a long time, I’ve great belief in him.

“He has really hit the ground running and he’s only going to get better, he’s a wonderful finisher.

"He just has a natural instinct around goal."

Wilson demonstrated his potential on 19 minutes when he gobbled up a sublime touch from skipper Rory Hale before drilling under the body of Sean O’Neill.

He ended the game as a contest 16 minutes from time.

Again, Hale produced the pass that led to a similar outcome.

“Rory has been brilliant from day one, he has really struck up a great understanding with Ben, it’s a great combination," added Magilton. "Sam Ashford also missed a few chances, but he is a catalyst for all that is good about us in terms of hard work and endeavour.”

Magilton reckons his team is improving week on week.

They followed on from their north Belfast Derby thumping of Crusaders on Monday night with another, professional, well-drilled display.

“We are very much a team that is still developing, the last two results have been encouraging,” he said. “This win is another statement of intent.

“Again, it was all down to the mentality and character of the players.

"We probably made life a little bit difficult for ourselves because of the chances we missed.

“The players deserve the credit.

"It perhaps wasn’t all that pleasant on the eye at times – we had to work and graft for the result, but the boys got what they deserved.

“It’s nice to win on the road twice in a few days – they were two big wins.

"The bonus of picking points up away from home is massive, especially in this league.

“I remember when I was at Ipswich Town, we lost only twice at home.

"But we one only once away from home.

"At the end of the season we were pipped by one point for a play-off place.

"It shows the importance of away wins."

It’s back to the drawing board for Sky Blues boss Jim Ervin.

“Our season will not be defined by the likes of Cliftonville, Glentoran, Linfield or Coleraine – it’s about what happens against the teams in and around us,” he said. “We were punished by a couple of mistakes, but that seems to be the common theme at the minute these days.

“Now we’ve got Dungannon and Newry coming up – that’s where our focus must be.”