SECOND takes on third in the Danske Bank Premiership this evening as Cliftonville travel across the city to The Oval (7.45pm kick-off) looking for a victory that would ensure they leapfrog Glentoran in the table and land a blow in the race for the title.

Both sides have won a game each in the corresponding fixtures at Solitude and although McLaughlin acknowledges a tough game lies in store, he insists it is one his charges will relish.

The Cliftonville manager has been impressed by the East Belfast outfit and believes they have the capability of challenging at the top table for years to come. 

“The Glens have been excellent this season,” he said. 

“Mick (McDermott) has done a brilliant job with Glentoran and he’s some serious additions to his squad as well too. They’re always going to be a team that’s going to be up there challenging for a number of years from here on in. 

“We’ve done well against them this year, we’re even-steven at the minute with one victory each. 

“The game that we lost we were probably a wee bit disappointed. We took the lead in it and big McCarey was excellent - he came away with the man-of-the-match award. On another day we wouldn’t have lost that game so it will be tough going there to The Oval. 

“They are really strong at home but the form these boys are in at the minute, they’re looking forward to it and we’ll have big support there - I’m sure Glentoran will as well. It will be another tough game and another big occasion, but it’s one we look forward to.”

The Reds are still fighting on three fronts this season after Friday night’s win against Coleraine saw them progress to the Irish Cup semi-final at the beginning of April.

The sides will clash on Sunday afternoon in the Bet McLean League Cup final and with a title tilt, McLaughlin is enjoying the end to the campaign. 

“That’s why we’re in the game, it’s brilliant,” he agrees. 

“I love it, the players love it, the fans love it and everybody associated with the club - it is an exciting time to be involved with the club. 

“We’re in the business to compete at the top end and to try to get ourselves into finals and hopefully win them. 

“Those players, I can’t praise them enough and hopefully they get rewarded for all their hard work and all their quality because I do believe that they deserve it more than anybody in the world. 

“Hopefully we can, but all it has given us is a chance to get another trophy - that’s all. “There will be three others joining us in the semi-final and they’ll all believe the same thing - that there is a good chance for them to get into a final and go on and win it. 

“We’ve given ourselves a chance in the League Cup final with Coleraine and we’re clinging on by our fingertips to any kind of chance we have in the league if anybody slips up. 

“But that is a wee bit of fairy-tale stuff in the league because there are so many games to be played and you have to be realistic: I can’t see Glentoran or Linfield losing too many games at this stage of the season.”

McLaughlin credited his side's defensive display in their Irish Cup victory against Coleraine and felt they got their tactics spot-on throughout. 

“The last 10 minutes felt like I was heading and kicking every ball that was on the pitch,” McLaughlin recalled. 

“Coleraine threw everything bar the kitchen sink at us in the last 10 minutes and we had to work extremely hard defensively. I thought we defended brilliantly with a few heroic blocks, big headers in there, landing second balls and clearing the danger. 

“It was a real tough game but we knew that was going to be the case. We knew it all week and we warned the players all week that nothing in the past was going to make a difference in the match. 

“Somebody asked me the other day, was winning two and drawing one against Coleraine mean anything, but it means nothing when you play matches like this because it’s a cup game.”