CRUSADERS and Cliftonville will put their put their winning starts to the season on the line at the weekend when the sides meet in the first North Belfast derby of the season.
Both have won all their domestic league fixtures to date with hosts Crusaders lying three points adrift of their neighbours with a game in hand ahead of Saturday’s meeting at Seaview (3pm kick-off).
Having featured in many North Belfast tussles as a player down the years, newly appointed boss Declan Caddell approaches his first as a manager and admits to having some doubts on his ability prior to the season beginning.
“Probably as a new manager coming in, you always have those doubts,” he admits.
“Everybody around the place has those doubts, about how the team will perform, can he motivate the team, how’s his tactical intelligence in terms of games? I think I have settled in well. It took a while to come around as it was announced so early. But it was nice to get the European venture over and focus on the bread and butter of the league.”
Caddell’s side continued their unbeaten run with a 1-0 win over Ballymena United on Tuesday evening thanks to a goal from on-loan St Mirren attacker Kieran Offord, his second since joining the club in summer and Caddell is happy with how Offord and his other summer signings have settled in.
“The new signings have all settled as well” he continued.
“They are training and performing well and there is a good buzz around the place. So it’s all positive.”
Last season it was Reds’ boss Jim Magilton who was new to the fixture, but he came out on top three times in the four meetings.
Speaking after Tuesday evening’s 1-0 win over Dungannon, Magilton is confident that opposite number Caddell will stamp his own authority and personality on team and expects a difficult encounter at the home of their derby rivals.
“They [Crusaders] are going well,” he noted.
“It’s a new regime and it will be strange not having Stephen Baxter in the dug-out - says me that has only had a season in the league.
“I was a young manager and I know exactly what he is going through. He needs to stamp his own authority and personality on his team and he will do that.
“I know don’t if it is going to be an indication of where we are all going to end up come the end of the season, but certainly they are big games. We understand they are big games, and we have to stand up and be counted.
“When I took over at Ipswich, I had a real feeling for the club, and I understood what it meant to play for the club – the same applies to Declan. He’s a real sense of the club and what the values of that football club mean to him and his players. I recognise that and we know it is going to be difficult, but I know that we have more levels to go and that is the pleasing aspect.
“We’re winning games, I’d like to think we’ll play a hell of a lot better and maybe not win games and drop points. We’ve got to take care of our own performance levels and raise those standards.”
Magilton admits that Shea Kearney remains a doubt, having not featured on Tuesday evening and is expected to be without Rory Donnelly after the striker picked up another hamstring injury in the first half of their win against the Swifts.
“It is too soon still - it was a case of he was never going to play tonight” Magilton revealed.
“Again, we will address that on Thursday and it might be a case of a weekend too soon for him.”
