Playing to the proud

Alongside his obvious pleasure with last night’s result, Jim Magilton declared himself “proud” of how Cliftonville picked themselves off the canvas to overcome Glentoran in their European Play-Off semi-final at The Oval.

Four days after suffering the agony of a penalty shootout defeat in the Irish Cup Final, the Reds produced a performance full of heart and energy to get the better of their hosts courtesy of late finishes from Jack Keaney and Eric McWoods.

“I was so proud of the players, we played really, really well in parts,” said Magilton, who will take his team to Coleraine for Sunday’s winner-takes-all decider.

“Above all else, we had bags of determination, guts and courage, which helped us get the result.

“After the huge disappointment on Saturday, to show that resolve and resilience was absolutely top drawer. I was thrilled with our response. We had another fantastic turn out from our fans. They encouraged us the whole way and thankfully, we were able to send them home happy.

“We now have another massive game looming at the weekend. We know it will be a tough task but we’ll make sure we’re ready for it.”