No day of rest

Jim Magilton says Cliftonville’s preparations for the European Play-Offs will not extend to ringing the changes for tomorrow’s Sports Direct Premiership meeting with Linfield.

Having rubberstamped fifth place in the table, the Reds bring the curtain down on their League programme with a trip to the Clearer Twist Stadium, where Magilton will hope to lead his players back into action for next month’s Play-Off Final.

Cliftonville will host either Carrick Rangers or Dungannon Swifts in the Play-Offs, but whether that game comes at the quarter-final or semi-final stage will be determined by next week’s Irish Cup decider. One guarantee, however, is that the Reds boss wants his side to enter their end-of-season quest on a buoyant note.

“No,” was his emphatic response when asked if he’d be resting players against the Blues.

“We actually want to try and get injured players a game. We are down bodies but we’re trying to get some lads back on to the pitch as quickly as we possibly can without jeopardising their health.

“We want to build form and momentum so that we can have as strong a finish to the season as possible.

“If we talk about momentum, it’s important that we try and build it. Momentum comes from consistency in messages and consistency in team selection, so we’re going to try and do both if we can.”