Paddy’s not drawn down

Paddy McLaughlin felt that a point apiece was the right outcome after Cliftonville and Linfield played out a goalless draw in last night’s Danske Bank Premiership encounter at Solitude.

In a game that saw defences on top, opposing goalkeepers Luke McNicholas and Chris Johns proved their worth with some fine stops either side of the interval as the Reds recorded a fifth consecutive clean sheet in the League.

“I don’t think any of the two teams deserved to lose,” reflected McLaughlin.

“It was a great game, both sets of supporters stayed behind to applaud their team off the pitch because they saw the effort that was put in.

“We had a few chances, especially for Joe Gormley. Some of our one-touch play around the box was excellent. Johns pulled off a really good save in the second-half, but when chances like that fall for Joe, you expect him to score because he is such a great finisher.

“The draw probably suits Linfield because it keeps them at the top of the table. You can understand that and I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way.

“Our mantra was to win the game to take us top. Our home form has been superb this year and we were banking on that, but we were playing against the Champions, we were playing against a quality side.

“We are not too disappointed with the point, but we are certainly not celebrating a draw. We are still only one point off the Blues and, with only four games to go, we are still in with a shout.”