Col to attention

Barry Gray says Cliftonville are well aware of the size of the task that awaits them tomorrow – but insists his players are good enough to get a positive result at Coleraine.

The Reds travel to The Showgrounds on the back of a disappointing County Antrim Shield exit to Crusaders which extended away day frustrations that have not yielded three points since Glentoran were overcome on the opening day of the Danske Bank Premiership campaign.

Gray, however, believes that a fully focused and well-drilled Cliftonville performance can cure their travel sickness this weekend.

“Coleraine’s home record is good and our form away from home is very poor so we are under no illusions about how difficult it will be,” he admits.

“It’s important we leave all our hard feelings at Seaview. Once again we have conceded late on, which has cost us, but we have the ability in our tank to beat Coleraine and it will be up to me to prepare and make sure the team are mentally ready.

“It’s clear where we need to improve and we need to take pride in doing the ugly side of the game well. We need to be more solid and manage the game and the situation around us better than we have been doing. The likes of Coleraine, Crusaders, Linfield or Glenavon all do the ugly side of things.

“We will keep working at things to stop piling more and more pressure on ourselves in every game but I know that if we stand up to it, focus on doing our jobs and doing them well, then we can start doing a lot better.”

The Manager has, meanwhile, confirmed that Stephen Small has stepped down from his role as First Team Coach to focus on his current commitments at the University of Ulster and to explore other coaching and managerial options.

Cliftonville Football Club are very grateful to Stephen for the work and dedication he has given to the Club and wish him well for his future. Likewise, the Club also give their thanks to Alan Young, who recently left his position as Goalkeeping Coach.

Neil Adair and Damian McCorry have joined the backroom staff as First Team Coach and Goalkeeping Coach, respectively, while the Club are pleased to welcome back former Cliftonville Olympic Manager Michael Press in new role of Team Analyst.

Admission
Tickets are not required for this fixture and spectators can pay cash at the turnstiles.

Adults: £11
Concessions: £8
Under 11s: Free