Trust in case

Jim Magilton saluted his players’ trust in one another after Cliftonville overcame Larne to reach the Clearer Water Irish Cup Final.

Goals from Jonny Addis and Ronan Hale teed up a May 4 decider with Linfield at Windsor Park, where the Reds last night produced a sensational display to roar through to the showpiece duel, leaving Magilton full of praise for their efforts.

“It was a magnificent performance from start to finish,” he declared.

“We went with a game plan and the players carried it out to the letter. They were magnificent, I can’t praise them enough.

“We’d worked on a set plan of playing on the counter attack because we had pace up front and we have that quality. We knew if we could expose it in the right areas then we had a chance of winning – and we’ve won a fantastic game.

“You have to be able to trust yourself on big occasions and be composed enough to play through pressure and then take the opportunities when they come your way, which we did.”

It won’t be long until Cliftonville renew rivalries with Larne as the sides prepare to contest a Sports Direct Premiership battle at Solitude in midweek and, though focus quickly turns to that clash, an “emotional” Magilton paid further tribute to not just his team but also the Red Army, who turned out in large numbers and made themselves heard throughout.

“We’ve another massive game on Tuesday night and we’ve got to be ready for that but to be in an Irish Cup Final, I’m emotional actually – it’s brilliant,” he added.

“I’m just so proud of everyone associated with the Club, but especially the players – the shift they put in, they were simply magnificent.”

On the fans, he concluded: “It’s motivating and it encourages the players to do more and we spoke before the game about how this crowd will get behind you and they’ll stick with you right to the end.”