Loughgall Manager Smith Reflects on ‘Difficult Afternoon’ After Cliftonville Defeat

Loughgall manager Dean Smith stated he found it difficult to be overly critical of his squad, which was affected by injuries, following their 4-0 loss to Cliftonville. The club currently occupies the last position in the Irish Premiership standings, trailing Glenavon by four points. The defeat for Smith’s team was sealed by a hat-trick from Joe Gormley and an additional goal from Rory Hale, marking the Villagers’ third consecutive league defeat. Smith suggested that the significant number of injuries played a role in the substantial margin of the loss. “It was a really difficult afternoon, but it is very hard to be critical of the players given the number of bodies we had out, we had eight first teamers missing so to put in a performance the way we did, I can’t be too critical,” he informed BBC Sport NI. Smith acknowledged that a crucial 13-minute period in the second half proved decisive, during which Cliftonville scored three goals. He noted a similar occurrence earlier in the season when Cliftonville scored three goals in 12 minutes at Lakeview Park in their 5-0 victory. He further commented, “We were 1-0 down at half-time, but we were well in the game, and I thought we could have nicked something, but those 13 minutes killed us and that’s the story of our season.” Smith concluded by stating, “They did it in 12 minutes at our place in a similar thing, but the attitude and character I can’t fault.”