CLIFTONVILLE boss Jim Magilton has urged his players to stand up and be counted off the back of their disheartening 4-0 defeat to Glentoran on Tuesday evening.
Champions Linfield cross the city to visit Solitude on Sunday afternoon (3pm kick-off- LIVE on BBC iPlayer) hoping to continue their momentum of late and keep pace with table-topers Larne.
For Magilton, he feels that Sunday's game will show where their confidence is following Tuesday evening's defeat and called on his players to dust themselves down and come back ready.
“For our fans watching our lads concede four goals in the second half is really disheartening for them, but the thing about football is you get a chance,” Magilton explained.
“You know when Linfield come to town on Sunday, you have to stand up and be counted- that’s what you have to do in this game.
“We will soon find out [what our confidence is like], at the end of the day players are responsible once they cross the white line, they have to take responsibility.
“Collectively, I'm standing here as a figurehead and the manager of the football club and saying that was not acceptable.
“But you have to go home and dust yourself down and then you have to come back ready, roll your sleeves up and then try and put a performance that warrants you playing for Cliftonville wearing that shirt”.
Magilton is adamant that he has been around football long enough to know that nobody needs to lift him in the aftermath of big defeats and expressed his upset at what he saw on Tuesday evening.
“Nobody lifts me because I've been in it long enough to know,” admitted Magilton.
“I got a bit of stick coming off the pitch and the punters are absolutely right, but nobody takes these performances worse than me, I can tell you that now – nobody.
“I’ve been in it long enough and I’ve always felt the same way; especially when I haven't played well as a player.
“If my team hasn’t played well as a team that is my fault. I take full responsibility for it and I'm very, very upset about it.
“It needs a night's sleep, it definitely does. There is a lot of soul searching on my part to do and to think about. I’ve got a squad of players that need picking up.
“That is Gerard Lyttle and my job and the staff's job to do that. We need a couple of days to regroup and stay away.
“Lot’s of games have come up and we need to be ready. We will be in again and focus on the next one”.
Josh Kelly will return for Sunday's clash against the Blues after missing the defeat against his parent club but Magilton will be without Harry Wilson who suffered broken fingers in their derby win over Crusaders with the Reds boss having to rejig things.
“We missed two very important players, Josh Kelly obviously isn’t playing and then we missed Harry Wilson,” Magilton added.
“He’d had an outstanding game and we don’t know when he is going to be back so we kind of rejig things, but it gives other people an opportunity.
“We picked a very attack minded team too. We brought in Liam McStravick and we were just careless.
“We were poor with the ball, and when you’re poor with the ball against good players, they sense it and then they go more aggressive, more physical and that’s what they did second half.
“Once they scored the first goal they smelt blood and they capitalised and punished them and it was a disheartening night, absolutely.
“I gave them a bit of a rollicking at half time, it didn’t work and then for 45 minutes we were totally outplayed.
“From week to week it has been hard to pick the same starting 11. After the Dungannon game we were down three, after Portadown, Calum McKay failed a fitness test and he’s injured.
“Then we lose Harry who was bang at it and in a great vein of form, and so you’re going into this game, you’re still pretty confident that at home we can go out and put a performance on.
“We just became loose and that’s something. We train here, we play here, we pass the ball on this pitch every time we’re here and that’s what's upset me the most.
“Watching players not taking the ball and not move to take the ball and not be brave enough to take the ball. That was majorly disheartening."
