World of desire

Jim Magilton says that victory in this evening’s County Antrim Shield Final would mean the world to him.

Cliftonville face Carrick Rangers in a Seaview showdown that is handed additional intrigue by the Gers’ Sports Direct Premiership victory at Solitude at the weekend.

Magilton admits he and his players have no choice but to take that defeat on the chin as they strive to add more silverware to the Club’s honours list tonight.

“Winning Finals means the world to me,” he says.

“I want to win everything and I haven’t shunned away from that.

“Going into a Final, it’s always about winning. That’s all that matters to me, I’m totally focused. I have to take Saturday’s result on the chin, as do the players, and we sulked for Saturday evening but it was back to work first thing on Sunday morning and focusing on trying to win the County Antrim Shield.”

After taking the lead through Brian Healy – who cannot play this evening having featured for Harland & Wolff Welders in the first round – amid a dominant start on Saturday, the Reds were pegged back six minutes before half-time and eventually reached the interval trailing 3-1 before Carrick added another to their tally early in the second period.

Magilton was pleased with what he saw in the early stages and expects his players’ powers of self-motivation to fuel their approach to tonight’s decider.

“We played really well, we passed the ball really well and they were chasing shadows but when they sorted themselves out, we’d no answers,” he admits.

“That was the scary aspect of it because we have a set of standards at this Football Club and we fell well below them once the goals started going in.

“If I reflect on my experiences of when this has happened, I certainly didn’t need a Manager to convince me that I have to do better.

“As a Manager, no matter if you rant or say as little as possible, it doesn’t really matter. It comes down to the individual and if an individual doesn’t stand up and be counted after that, then we are in serious trouble.

“We haven’t got time to dwell on it. We’ve a County Antrim Shield Final against the same opposition, who’ll be licking their lips. They dominated us and we’ve got to respond properly and stand up and be counted.”