Jim Magilton revealed that some honest dressing-room conversations helped get Cliftonville’s 2024/25 season back on track.
The Reds overcame north Belfast derby rivals Crusaders courtesy of a solitary Joe Gormley goal on Friday night to make it three Sports Direct Premiership wins in a row and four undefeated in total.
The first game in that sequence – a goalless draw with Glenavon on October 19 – was a fifth successive League outing without a win for Magilton’s men, who pocketed just two points from a possible 15 and tumbled to eighth in the standings.
Subsequent wins over Coleraine, Linfield and the Crues have catapulted the Reds back up the table, with the Solitude chief’s positive messaging of late now providing clear dividends.
“There was a lot of deep thought about who we are, what we want to be, our identity, what we represent, who we represent and all of the things that are important,” explained Magilton.
“It’s a belief from the staff in the players. Overnight, it doesn’t just turn where you go from a really good player to a really bad player, that just doesn’t happen, and it’s just through courage and confidence and self-belief that you have to keep reinforcing those points.
“Nights like tonight where, for 60 or 70 minutes, we were so good and created so many opportunities against a top-class attacking side, then to show the character that we showed to keep the ball out of our net was brilliant.”
One player whose attitude exemplified the fighting spirit that Cliftonville showed from the word go on Friday was captain Rory Hale.
Having missed the start of the 2024/25 season through an injury sustained in the Charity Shield clash with Larne in the summer, the former Derry City man is working his way back to full fitness in a manner that won plaudits from his boss.
“He’s getting fit playing games, that’s always difficult,” said Magilton.
“It’s maybe easier when you’re free-flowing and you’re winning games but, if you’re not, it kind of leaves you fighting to get there and fighting to get there.
“Rory’s character, his resilience and all of the things like his determination to get results is self-evident. You have to keep going and you have to keep going.
“He looks fitter, even though he was exhausted at the end, and it’s the same for a lot of them – we don’t cry about injuries because it gives opportunities to others.
“Those others have to step up to the mark, so I’m never going to cry over who’s injured and who’s not, it’s down to the squad to come in and do well, and if they do well, they stay in the team.”
Crusaders boss Declan Caddell lamented his side’s failure to get to grips with things during a first-half that Cliftonville dominated.
Multiple Jonny Tuffey saves ensured the Reds held the most slender of advantages going into the second period, during which the visitors assumed control of the contest.
Aside from a 50th-minute snapshot from Kieran Offord, however, they were unable to particularly test Reds keeper David Odumosu and had only near-misses from Jordan Forsythe, Philip Lowry and Jordan Stewart to show for their efforts.
“It was a game of two halves,” said Caddell.
“Cliftonville were very good in the first-half and deserved to be ahead, and maybe could even have been 2-0 up rather than just the one.
“We made a tactical change at the break because I felt they were getting out too easy, and that allowed us to get more of the ball in good areas, but it just didn’t fall for us.
“On another night, we get the equaliser and maybe even go on to get a winner, but it just didn’t happen for us here.
“I told the players I’m proud of their performance and proud of what they gave me. What we need to do now is turn that 45-minute performance into a 90-minute one.”