CLIFTONVILLE manager Jim Magilton insists his side must dust themselves down, regroup and focus ahead of the visit of Larne.

Last year’s Premiership Champions make the trip to Solitude on Saturday evening (5.30pm kick-off) looking to exploit any further hangover from the Reds after their midweek defeat at Windsor Park.

Tiernan Lynch’s side face a sweat over the fitness of former Cliftonville pair Aaron Donnelly and Tomas Cosgrove, while Shaun Want departed early their draw with Coleraine and Levi Ives picked up a late sending off on their trip to the North Coast.

Magilton’s focus, however, is on his own players and the team’s performances level, which he believes needs to come up against the Champions.

“We’ve had our say in there and we’ve got to dust ourselves down and learn from it, get ourselves regrouped and get focused again,” he insists.

“It is a massive game, no better game against Larne at Solitude to pick ourselves. We’ll be ready and well prepared, and we’ll take the game to them.

“There might be a bit of noise around this defeat, but I disregard any of that.

“My only focus is on the players and performance levels and we’re going to have to raise our performance levels to match Larne’s because they are a good side, and they are the defending champions. We respect that.

“We understand they have a lot of strengths, but again we will try and exploit their weaknesses.”

Magilton believed his players lacked a cutting-edge during Tuesday evening’s defeat to Linfield but is adamant they are a work in progress and was proud of their courage shown.

“At times we just lacked that real cutting-edge,” he admitted.

“We used Rory (Hale) in a more advanced area, and he was good, not as effective as he was on Saturday because obviously Linfield had denied him that space and time.

“We didn’t have Joe, which would have gave us that extra edge upfront and it would have taken a bit more pressure off Ben.

“We are a work in progress, and I am extremely proud of them because it isn’t easy, and you’ve got to show courage.

“I thought they showed courage in abundance at times tonight.

“It is just those moments, those moments against top players you’re going to get punished. Lesson learned.

“If you’d told me eight weeks ago to where we are now, I’d have taken your hand off. That is important and the positives that come from that. It’s the dressing room and the belief in the dressing room.

“They’ve gone toe-to-toe with them, they understood that they were punished, and they can’t make mistakes against Linfield or any team that level.

“The Millars, Coopers and McKee’s - if you switch off for a second, they are going to punish you and we were punished tonight.”

Magilton believes that his job in the coming weeks is to continue to allay any fears or doubters within the squad that they are capable of competing with the full-time sides in the league.

“They are still a group that are getting used to us and we’re getting used to them,” Magilton acknowledged.

“Our job is to allay any fears they have. We want them to go and express themselves and go and play.

“I think there are still one or two that are disbelievers and that will come over the course of the season. Hopefully disappointments like this will strengthen them and strengthen their beliefs in what we’re trying to do.”