Coffey’s learning his keep

Barry Coffey acknowledges he’s had to learn on the job since joining Cliftonville last month but says his team-mates have helped him settle into a League he knows very little about.

The Celtic midfielder produced the best performance of his loan spell in Tuesday night’s victory over Ballymena United and is determined to build on it during tomorrow’s Danske Bank Premiership encounter with Carrick Rangers at The Belfast Loughshore Hotel Arena.

“I’m not used to the League and haven’t played in it before but ultimately, I’m confident in myself that my qualities will shine through no matter who I’m up against but there’s some really top players and some really tough games coming up,” explains the 19-year-old Tipperary man.

“I just try to look after my own game and with Bags (Liam Bagnall) and Olly (Ronan Doherty) in there beside me, that allows me to play my own game and hopefully I can make opposition players worry more about me than me worrying about them.”

The Republic of Ireland Under-19 international, who was one of seven additions during the January Transfer Window, admits the one downside of his time at the Club is that every game has been played behind closed doors, admitting that he’s eager to experience the famous Red Army atmosphere.

“I’d love to be here when Solitude is full, it looks like a great place to be when the fans are in full voice,” he adds.

“I’d love to be able to show them what I can do but the squad have been excellent with me – the new boys and the experienced ones. They’ve all made me feel welcome and I suppose that’s made it easier for me on the field to play as well as I can.”