CLIFTONVILLE boss Jim Magilton was happy that the 21-players that featured in Saturday’s pre-season defeat to Portadown came through unscathed.

The new Reds boss made 10-changes at the break, with his side leading 1-0 thanks to Joe Gormley’s penalty on the half hour mark.

Portadown hit back and levelled through Zach Cowan and found the winner on the hour mark through Eoghan McCawl.

Although Magilton conceded he wasn’t particularly satisfied with the end result, the former Ipswich Town and Queens Park Rangers boss was happy that as many players got the game time that they deserved.

“They’ve worked so hard, and the players have applied themselves so well. The training intensity has been great,” revealed Magilton.

“We don’t like losing, nobody likes losing – I don’t particularly like it at all. What was important today was to make sure that we got through the game without any injuries. We played two elevens because the lads all deserved to have a game.

“A lot of the kids that came on were great and I’m delighted that everyone was injury free, and it gets us really started now in terms of getting matches to prepare for the league campaign.”

Magilton was keen to credit the work that Ricky McCann has done since returning to the club from a spell at Linfield and expects the focus and intensity to step up further in the coming weeks.

“It’s been tough as pre-season should be, but everything we do in pre-season is game related and ball related,” Magilton admits.

“Ricky McCann has been fantastic with that. The players have worked so hard, and they have responded really, really well. I’m delighted with them. That’s us up and running now and now it’s a real focus and intensity in our training and we’ll step it up again.”

The Reds pre-season campaign continues with visits to Ballyclare Comrades and Lisburn Distillery before welcoming Finn Harps before their league campaign kick-off off and Magilton is hoping that amongst their busy schedule, he will be able to strengthen the squad further.

His first signing came in the form of goalkeeper David Odumosu who joined on-loan from St Patrick’s Athletic and the 54-year-old is hoping to add more competition before their league campaign starts.

“We’ve a busy schedule of friendlies that bring us up to the 5th of August,” acknowledged Magilton.

“Hopefully we can bring a few more bodies into the building and that they hopefully will improve and increase the quality. We’re looking for competition for places.

“David is competition, strong competition and everyone that we bring into the club has to have that and raise the quality and improve the standards of the club. I have to be honest; these lads have been terrific and set really good standards in their training and it will continue.”

With the fixture list throwing up an opening day clash at Windsor Park, Magilton is excited at what he deems a ‘great start’ and believes they will travel across the city with confidence in their principles of play.

“Linfield is a big game and a great start for us,” Magilton said.

“I’m experienced enough now in the game to know that I’ve had fantastic pre-seasons where it was all flowing and fantastic football, winning every game well and then go into the season properly and lose the first three or four games.

“The other way around is not having a great pre-season, conceding goals and being sloppy and then come the start of the season being bang at it. There is a contrast to both.

“We will be talking about to the players, principles of play will be established and they’ll not fear anybody because they will be that confident in how we want to play.”