Quick the habit

Jim Magilton believes Cliftonville’s lively start set the tone for yesterday’s win at Loughgall.

The Reds could have been ahead as early as the 24th second when Ronan Hale went close, but the striker got his angles right later in the half to give the visitors a two-goal advantage at the interval.

Chris Gallagher made it 3-0 and, though Nathaniel Ferris pulled one back for the hosts, skipper Chris Curran had the final say of a game that Loughgall ended with 10 men following Aaron Duke’s dismissal for a foul on David Odumosu.

“We knew we needed a fast start and we certainly did that,” said Magilton.

“Loughgall are a good side, especially at home, and we gave them our full respect in terms of how we approached the game. We started ever so well, built from there, dominated the game and created good opportunities.

“It’s easy for a Manager or a coaching staff to have a plan and an idea of how we’re going to play but, at the end of the day, it’s the players who have to go out and deliver it, and I have to give the boys every credit for how they went about things.

“We were on it right from the start and we were rewarded for that. I’m delighted with the players and delighted with the win.”

The Manager acknowledged there was a brief downturn in performance following a raft of second-half substitutions that temporarily took the rhythm out of the Reds’ flow before the strong finish that saw Curran wrap things up from a fine Joe Gormley assist.

“We were 3-0 up and made a few changes because the game was done and dusted but Loughgall obviously thought differently,” he added.

“They put us under pressure and we had to stand up and defend. We had obviously expected a response from them in the second-half anyway but they got a little bit more joy the longer the game went on, but we dealt with that and went on to score another. Four goals and three points at a venue where they make things so tough for visiting teams is a good day’s work.”