Lesson the impact

Paddy McLaughlin says Cliftonville must show they’ve learned lessons from recent setbacks when they face Glenavon at Mourneview Park this evening.

The Reds have lost all four of their away games in the Danske Bank Premiership so far this season and, having gone down by one goal at Crusaders, Dungannon Swifts and Larne, paid for a “mad” spell against Linfield last time out – but, rather then feel sorry for themselves, McLaughlin wants his men to address those frustrations when they take to the pitch for tonight’s televised encounter in Lurgan.

“This is a very competitive League and it can be tough to get anything on the road,” he said.

“We maybe haven’t got what we deserved out of some of those previous away games but we try not to dwell on negativity, we concentrate on the positives.

“As their Manager, I can’t complain because the boys are working their socks off in games, they are giving me everything.

“I think last week was an example of the way things have been going for us. We matched Linfield all over the park for much of the game, but we were undone by a mad four-minute spell just after the break.

“It proves if you switch off against any team in this League, you’ll be punished. It will be the same at Glenavon if we become sloppy again.

“There is no point beating ourselves up or feeling sorry for ourselves over what has happened in certain games, we must take the positives out of our performances and use them to our advantage.”