Horrible happiness

Jim Magilton says a willingness to perform “the horrible side of the game” is what earned Cliftonville victory over Glenavon last night.

The Reds hit the woodwork four times at Mourneview Park but that statistic itself does not represent the contest as a whole, with the hosts enjoying a lengthy spell of first-half pressure ahead of Rory Hale plundering the only goal of the match early in the second period.

“We were quickly out of the blocks but, after the first five minutes, Glenavon dominated and we were second best,” said Magilton.

“We needed to sort one or two things out at half-time and we did that. We had had to show grit in the first-half but we wanted a bit more quality and to be better at the horrible side of the game.

“We needed to show a bit more courage, which isn’t something I’ve had to say to them very often, but there was no panic because I trusted the players to go out and do that.”

Hale’s 51st minute finish was the Reds’ reward for that braver approach, with Magilton labelling the victory as the most pleasing of his tenure.

“The sign of a good side is to win games when you’re not at your best and we did that,” he added.

“For that reason and because of how well Glenavon played and how difficult they made things for us, it’s our most pleasing win since I’ve come in. We had to show another side to our game and I was really pleased with how the players went about that.”