CLIFTONVILLE manager Paddy McLaughlin is hoping that home advantage and a bumper Solitude crowd will stand by his side as they take on Coleraine in the quarter-final of the Samuel Gelston’s Whiskey Irish Cup.

The Bannsiders make the trip to Solitude on Friday evening (7.45pm kick-off) for the second time a matter of weeks, hoping for an upturn in fortunes from their previous two visits to North Belfast this season.

Oran Kearney’s men have suffered back-to-back defeats, the most recent coming in a 2-0 reversal three weeks ago.

Reds’ boss McLaughlin lavished praise on his opposite number and is expecting the north coast outfit to prove difficult to break down.

“We’ll be sick looking at each other by the end of the season,” he joked. 

“They’re a really good side. Oran Kearney has done a brilliant job at Coleraine in the last lot of years. I’ll keep saying that because he is a good manager and he’s got a good side.

“It will be a difficult game. We’ll take our pats on the back for the win over Crusaders but we wake up and the game is over, and we move onto Friday night. We’ll have concentration and recovery in-between and Friday night is important now.

“It will be a tough game and home advantage is going to be key for us. You see the fans today (Saturday) and they were unbelievable. They’ve been superb all season long and especially at home games - they make it a really hostile place.

“As well as the players making it difficult for the opposition, the fans are playing a huge part in that as well and hopefully they’ll be here in their numbers and I’m sure they will be because they’ve been brilliant for us all year.”

McLaughlin believes that Friday night games under the lights add ingredients to the occasion and has backed his side to bring their intensity and fast pace that has been a product of their season to date.

“It will be a good atmosphere and Friday night games under the lights really do add to the occasion,” he believes.

“It adds to the spice of the game so there is no doubt that it will be hotly contested right throughout. It will be intense and will be fast-paced, but our boys have been playing like that all season long. We’re ready and waiting for it to happen.”

The Derry native was pleased with the mentality shown before the break of their North Belfast derby win over Crusaders and is of the opinion that Ryan Curran’s strike was the turning point in proceedings.

“There was a battle of the mentalities because if they go in at 1-1 it obviously gives them the incentive in the second half, but our boys refused to accept that,” McLaughlin reflected.

“They kicked on and got a brilliant second goal. I was quick thinking from Levi for the quick throw and Ryan Curran does what he has been doing all season - his composure in the final third this season has been excellent. He scores from a really tight angle, and it’s put us back in front right on the whistle.

“It was a massive goal and a big, big thing for the game. They’ll turn to the sending off as maybe the turning point of the game, but I think us going in 2-1 up at half-time was a massive part of how the second half played out.”

McLaughlin insists that the focus on the title race is between ‘big two’ rivals Linfield and Glentoran and is happy his side are well in the race for European qualification - their target before the season began. 

“The boys have given themselves a chance of qualifying for Europe and that’s been the goal from the start of the season,” revealed McLaughlin.

“Everybody is talking about the full-time teams and the European places were sewn up before there was a ball kicked. It was nonsense then and it's nonsense now.

“The European places are still up for grabs, so it’s important we keep working hard if we want to secure one of them.”