Enemy lines

Jim Magilton felt Cliftonville were their “own worst enemy” in yesterday’s Sports Direct Premiership defeat to Glentoran.

An early Jordan Jenkins goal ultimately proved enough for the east Belfast side to claim all three points and, though the Reds enjoyed short spells on top in the game, the Manager admitted they didn’t do enough to merit any reward.

“They’ve scored a fantastic goal very early on but we’ve had plenty of time to get back into the game,” he reflected.

“I thought we were below standards in the first-half and didn’t think we played with any zip or energy.

“We made changes to try and give us a bit more impetus, which gave us a wee lift and we created one or two opportunities but we were our own worst enemy. We gave the ball away too cheaply too many times and handed opportunities to Glentoran and, on another day, they take them and the game’s over.

“We were still obviously in with a shout right up to the death but we didn’t do enough.

“We talk about our standard of performance, we talk about individual performances which then elevate your team performance but we didn’t reach that standard.

“We created one or two chances but we didn’t do enough. We didn’t make their keeper make saves and our quality in the final third, including our crossing, was really poor.”