CLIFTONVILLE manager Jim Magilton insists that focus must switch to securing a top-six spot in the aftermath of their League Cup triumph at the weekend. 

The newly crowned League Cup winners face a difficult fight to secure a top-six finish that would guarantee an end-of-season European play-off should they fail in their bid to retain the Irish Cup. 

Their next step in the bid to retain the Cup comes at the end of March with a semi-final meeting against Ards, but Magilton’s immediate priority lies with Wednesday evening’s home clash with Dungannon Swifts (7.45pm kick-off) before a trip to take on Ballymena United on Saturday (3pm kick-off). 

“This one is done and now we move on,” he said in the aftermath of Sunday's victory over Glentoran. 

“There are big games to come for us. We’ve got to do everything we can get back into the top six. 

“Then we look forward to an Irish Cup semi-final where we are desperate to hold onto it. 

“We want to defend it again, Ards are worthy opponents, but we are ravenous to win it again and that’s the way it has to be.”

Magilton has emphasised the importance of the whole squad contributing in this busy period and feels there is momentum and a positive mindset building from within. 

“We’ve seven games in March; we’ve won the first three and now we have to kick on,” Magilton insists. 

“We’ve got three out of three. That builds momentum and builds positive mindsets and that is what we’re about here. 

“We said before we went out that the squad are going to play a massive part this month. That is the message that we are sending out to everybody - it was a group effort today. 

“We will enjoy Sunday, but we 100 per cent have to be ready and every game matters. 

“We have to be ready because the demands that they put on, but the demands we put on them, we’ve got to get cracking in the league and that is important.”

The Reds are unbeaten since a defeat at Glenavon that Magilton felt was a low point, but he praised his staff and players for their reaction in recent weeks. 

“It was a long weekend for me, a real long weekend,” Magilton admitted. 

“You have to have to have belief in your own group. We were poor, they knew they were poor. 

“I don’t have to say an awful lot to players whose expectation levels are very, very high and that is driven by the individuals, but also driven by the staff. 

“That was a really poor day for us, it was as poor as we’ve played. That was the lowest and I knew that he had to have a bounce. 

“This group of players are more than capable of winning games and consecutive games.”