Magilton Commends Cliftonville’s Approach in Loughgall Victory

Cliftonville manager Jim Magilton commended his team’s demeanor following their 4-0 win over Loughgall at Solitude. The club currently holds the second position in the league standings, trailing leaders Linfield by five points. Joe Gormley achieved his 17th hat-trick for Cliftonville, complemented by a late fourth goal from Rory Hale, which contributed to the Reds’ return to victory. Magilton expressed satisfaction with his squad’s performance, especially after their disappointing 1-0 home loss to Ballymena United the previous weekend. Speaking to BBC Sport NI, he stated, “Really good day at the office bouncing back from last week’s disappointment.” He further elaborated, “We talk about standards, and we slipped below them last week, so I was delighted with how we approached the game, our attitude was spot on from the first whistle, we were pretty dominant.” Magilton specifically highlighted Gormley, noting that he was finding it difficult to find new words of praise for the player following another precise performance. “Joe Gormley simply doesn’t disappoint, some of his finishes were fantastic, so it was a great win for us,” Magilton further commented. The manager of the Reds expressed satisfaction in providing Odhran Casey with his initial playing time for Cliftonville since his injury departure during the Irish Cup final in May. Additionally, Magilton introduced 15-year-old Coran Madden for his debut, a moment Madden celebrated by providing an assist for Hale’s goal. He remarked, “We’re delighted with Casey, he has had to work so hard [to come back] from a pretty horrific injury, so we’re happy to get him minutes. “Coran is a wonderful player, great talent and destined to be a footballer and we thought it was a great opportunity to bring him on.”