CLIFTONVILLE manager Paddy McLaughlin is relishing the start of the Danske Bank Premiership season on Saturday and feels his side in great shape ahead of the new season.

The Reds welcome Carrick Rangers to Solitude (3pm kick-off) hoping to get off to a perfect start against a side they defeated three times last season.

McLaughlin is delighted with how his players worked over their pre-season schedule and is excited for competitive football to return.

“We’re looking forward to it because the boys have been training really well for the last six or seven weeks since they’ve came back,” he confirmed.

“They’ve come back in great shape and even when they first came back their fitness testing was excellent.

“We’ve hit the ground running almost from the first day of pre-season. The new signings have fitted in really well and they’re coming into the mix with a bunch of good lads that have already been here.

“It’s an exciting season ahead and we’re looking forward to it and looking forward to the start on Saturday.”

Stuart King’s arrival at Carrick Rangers has coincided with a summer of change at the Loughshore Hotel Arena with David Cushley among some high calibre signings.
Although McLaughlin expects the Gers will make things hard on Saturday, he insists that it is a fixture they believe they will win.

“They’ve signed really well in the summer and brought in some great, experienced players and I’m sure there was a lot of interest in them as well,” McLaughlin noted.

“They’ve recruited really well and knowing ‘Stuarty’ from the playing days, I know he is a good football man, and a new manager will always want to get off to a good start as well.

“It’s a tough fixture for us but it’s one that we believe we can win. The shape that we’re in and the way that we were playing in our friendlies has been excellent.

“If we can maintain our high standards from pre-season at the start of the season, we’re confident that we can beat most teams in the division.

“It’s a tough league this year, especially with the full-time teams having another year under their belt. It’s a league that we’re more than confident of competing in at the top end.”

Saturday will see Reds’ fans return to Solitude in numbers for the first time in 18 months and McLaughlin has called on them to back the team with three home games on the bounce in the opening week of the season.

“I’m glad to see the fans coming back in because we’ve missed them,” he admits.

“They definitely intimidate the opposition and give our players a massive boost whenever they are in full voice. It’s up to us to score goals and win games and have them get behind us from the off.

“It’s our job to win as many matches as we can and the supporters have a big part to play in that. Like I say, they do give an extra boost of energy and adrenaline to the players when they are in full voice.

“Hopefully we’ll have a big crowd here early in the season. We’ve got a couple of home fixtures and it’s important we get off to a good start and everybody plays their part - fans included.”

Paddy McLaughlin says he is delighted the Red Army will be back in force on Saturday
2Gallery

Paddy McLaughlin says he is delighted the Red Army will be back in force on Saturday

McLaughlin hopes to have Paul O’Neill available in the not-so-distant future following a knee operation.

Despite maintaining that there will be long term absentees that won’t be available this side of Christmas, he is happy with the youngsters that are propping up his squad and impressing during pre-season.

“We’ve a few long-termers,” McLaughlin outlined.

“Paul O’Neill got an operation on his knee, but he is recovering well at the minute and hopefully he will be back in a few weeks’ time.

“The other lads: Breen, O’Reilly, McDermott and Bags (Liam Bagnall) are long-term absentees and we will have to plan without them for the immediate future at least; a few we’ll probably not see this side of Christmas. But the boys that we brought in have given us a real cutting edge.

“We’ve 18 senior players and a couple of younger players there and what we have got is a high calibre of player in every position.

“We’re not the biggest squad but we have high levels in there and we’re looking forward to it still. We’ll deal with whatever injuries and suspensions come our way.

“Some of the younger players coming through the system have been excellent in pre-season.

“Odhran (Casey) and Calvin (McCurry) are back from injury and with Stephen McGuinness, we have some good young players at the club. Whenever they’re called upon, those boys are ready to go.”