Clearer Water Irish Cup semi-final
Cliftonville v Larne (Windsor Park, Saturday, 5.30pm)
CLIFTONVILLE boss Jim Magilton admits he is excited to lead his side into the semi-final of the Clearer Water Irish Cup on Saturday evening.
The Reds make the tea-time trip to Windsor Park to take league-leaders and champions Larne hoping to make to the decider they last reached back in 2018.
It 45 years since the Cup last resided at Solitude and Magilton is aware of the magnitude that victory would give the passionate fans.
“I’m really excited for the players because it is a showpiece and we will know from the Friday night, potentially who we could meet in the final- which is another fantastic game, he said.
“Glentoran v Linfield is a throwback to the great rivalry between those two clubs and Larne are obviously emerging as a great force in the league.
“Given it’s my first season with the club with Gerard [Lyttle], Ricky [McCann] and all our staff, it is one we are really looking forward to. These are the games you look forward to.
“They should motivate you rather than intimidate you. The theme of the whole week will be motivation, the desire to go and a win a game and try and get into another Irish Cup final.
“I know the heritage and the history of the cup with Cliftonville. They haven’t won it since 1979 and it was a theme last night at Joe Gormley’s testimonial dinner. The fans are so passionate and care so much for the club. if we can deliver an Irish Cup, it would be fantastic.”
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Both sides were due to meet under the Solitude lights on Monday evening, but U21 call-ups on both sides mean that fixture will instead take place next Tuesday evening (7.45pm kick-off) and Magilton looks at it as a positive recognition on the talent within the club.
“It’s a recognition of where we are,” Magilton insists.
“We’ve four players away on international duty, Sean [Stewart] we’ve got on-loan from Norwich, and he is a U21 international.
“Getting Odhran Casey international recognition is important for the club and obviously we have Caoimhin Hawthorne and Ryan Corrigan away with the U17s.
“When you have those players and you’re coming up to an international break, we’re delighted for them.
“It does mean obviously that we don’t get a fixture, which is what we want to do to and build that momentum.
“We’ve lost two and then won two, which was extremely important for us. Preparation this week is a total focus.
“Hopefully we get all the lads back with no injuries and we get ready for what is a top-class side in Larne.
“Whilst it is fantastic for lads, it can be very disruptive for us. We want everybody there and everybody focused on the job in hand.
“We go into Saturday’s game prepared for the qualities that Larne are going to bring to the table and hopefully we have to withstand that and then come out with our own qualities- which we have in abundance too.”
Odhran Casey is back from suspension but injury may rule him out
Larne hold a slight edge in the corresponding fixtures this season with a 2-1 win at Inver Park in November and the sides played out a 1-1 draw at Solitude in August with Magilton predicting that the last four clash will come down to moments in the game.
“They have been tight games and again it is going to be the moments in the game that are going to matter,” he predicted.
“In the second game at Larne, they took their opportunities and we didn’t.
“As a result, they won the game. If you think of the run that we went on and the run that the two teams ahead of us went on, to continue that run, Larne have done amazingly well.
“You have to give them so much credit for the levels of consistency that they have shown and the levels of quality.
“Once you are on that run, it is so much about momentum, and they have carried that momentum through. They have been outstanding.”
Odhran Casey will return from suspension against the Inver Reds, having served the first of a two-game ban against Loughgall but striker Sam Ashford will be touch and go according to the Reds boss after he departed in the aftermath of opening the scoring in their recent win at Lakeview Park.
“Goals are what we brought Sam here for,” Magilton stressed.
“Whilst he has fantastic other attributes in terms of his work ethic, his desire to go and win the ball back. That and intensity with and without the ball, Sam brings that.
“Ultimately, as a centre forward, he wants to score goals and he has shown that in the last four of five weeks. He has really taken his opportunities when they’ve came up and he has done great for us.
“He will be right up to the wire. We will see how he is this week and then make a decision.”
