Seeking a Swift response

Jim Magilton says Cliftonville must “stand up and be counted” as they bid to return to winning ways against Dungannon Swifts tomorrow.

After suffering a first defeat in 17 outings when they came up against Linfield on Tuesday night, the Reds face another stern test at Stangmore Park but Magilton has backed his players to put their midweek disappointment behind them and focus on the task at hand.

“I know exactly what to expect there – they’re a very good side who will hurt you if you give them time and space,” he said.

“We’re going to be asked questions by a really good Dungannon side and we have to stand up and be counted.

“This group of players have been absolutely magnificent in terms of their levels of consistency. We dipped in midweek, got punished for it but we have to move on quickly.

“Good teams bounce back and these players have shown all season long how hard they’re prepared to work.

“The players had gone 15 or 16 games without losing and, at any standard, that’s a fantastic run. We’ve had a setback. Linfield had a setback last week and bounced back an I expect a similar response in terms of our character and resilience.”

Dungannon Swifts v Cliftonville
Cash turnstiles
Adults: £13
Concessions: £9