MAKING Solitude a fortress is high on the agenda for all at Cliftonville this season as they prepare for their first midweek game of the campaign.

Dungannon Swifts make the trip to North Belfast this evening (7.45pm kick-off) hoping to inflict a first defeat on the Reds and pick up their first league win of the season in the process. 

Cliftonville manager Jim Magilton praised the Swifts and believes that Rodney McAree’s side is well coached and will relish their trip and an opportunity to play their expansive football. 

“We want to win every game,” Magilton insists.  

“That may not be possible, but we will be ready again on Tuesday against a very good team. They are a well coached side who will come to Solitude and look forward to playing. We’ve got to make Solitude a very difficult place for everyone to come to. We’ll set our stall out and get ready for it.”

Shea Gordon opened his account for the Reds in the weekend’s 2-1 win over Glenavon and Magilton has tipped the midfielder to kick on and grow in confidence in the coming weeks. 

“He’s got goals in him,” he said. 

“He has that energy from midfield, so we’ve just got to give him the confidence to go and do that. 

“I think with the players that we have in the team, he has the licence to go and get in the box and with the structure and the framework that we set out for the players, there is a freedom and that instinctive nature. He reacted brilliantly off a fantastic Ronan Doherty cross. It was a great finish and a great goal and we are expecting more.”

Magilton isn’t sure whether he will be able to call upon the services of Shea Kearney after the wing-back was withdrawn at half-time on Saturday and provided an update on injuries to Rory Hale and Rory Donnelly. 

“It is too early to say - he had to come off with a hamstring/calf injury,” he revealed. 

“Rory will be months. Rory Donnelly came off with a slight hamstring strain and again, we can’t take chances. He sat out on Saturday and we’ll see how he is on Tuesday with a view to Saturday. 

“Again, for us it is about making sure we get them fit and ready without taking an unnecessary risk.”