Monday Monthly: November

A few days ahead of Cliftonville reporting for their first pre-season friendly, cliftonvillefc.net continues a weekly mini-series reflecting on the good, the bad and the in-betweens of last term.

Every Monday between now and the new domestic campaign getting under way, we’ll take a chronological look back on a month from the the 2024/25 schedule – with an an impressive November taking centre stage today.

Having ended October with battling victories over Coleraine and Linfield, the Reds generated further momentum by posting their first North Belfast Derby win of the season as a solitary Joe Gormley (above) goal sunk Crusaders under Solitude’s Friday night lights.

A BetMcLean Cup second round trip to Bangor was next up and the visitors were made to fight all the way to the finish to book progress to the quarter-finals when, with extra-time looming, substitute Ryan Corrigan (below) picked his spot to settle the issue at Clandeboye Park.

Another win rolled around when Cliftonville took on Dungannon Swifts at Stangmore Park where, after falling behind midway through the first-half, the visitors turned things round through Gormley and Taylor Steven before Gormley added a further two strikes to walk away with the matchball (below).

If there was one team that really got under the Reds’ skin last season, it was Ballymena United. Already defeated by the Sky Blues on both Sports Direct Premiership and County Antrim Shield duty, Jim Magilton’s side suffered another frustrating reverse when the Braidmen, who had been largely forced to perform a stern rearguard action, claimed the only goal of the game with 20 minutes left on the clock.

Cliftonville did hit back the following week, though, with Gormley (above) claiming his second hat-trick in a fortnight in a 4-0 win over Loughgall that was rounded off by Rory Hale’s first strike of the season.

With four wins from five games, the Reds approached December’s opening assignment – an away date with Larne – in confident mood…

November 2024
Cliftonville 1-0 Crusaders
Gormley

Bangor 0-1 Cliftonville
Corrigan

Dungannon Swifts 1-4 Cliftonville
Gormley 3, Steven

Cliftonville 0-1 Ballymena United

Cliftonville 4-0 Loughgall
Gormley 3, Hale

Player of the Month: Joe Gormley
Goal of the Month: Joe Gormley v Loughgall