CLIFTONVILLE manager Jim Magilton insists that past experiences means he will continue to emphasise the importance of his players not taking teams for granted.
After an opening day North Belfast derby win over Crusaders, the Reds make the trip to Clandeboye Park to take on Bangor on Saturday (3pm kick-off) looking to make it back-to-back victories in the league.
Magilton’s charges were unable to leave the North Down venue with three points in their two visits last season, falling to a 3-1 opening day defeat and being held to a draw in their clash before Christmas, with the Reds boss fully aware of the importance of respecting their opponents.
“We never take anybody for granted. If you take any team in this league for granted, you are in for a hiding and it is unforgiving,” Magilton said.
“I realised that very early on in my tenure here and I continue to emphasise that to players and reinforce that to the players.
“We respect every team in the league and we go there and we have to stand up and be counted and play."
Ollie Samuels and Harry Wilson are expected to be available to face Lee Feeney’s side after departing early in Friday evening's victory over Crusaders with cramp, with Magilton admitting it is about managing players in the early stages of the campaign.
“Ollie [Samuels] and Harry [Wilson] just suffered from cramp” he revealed.
“Again, the first game of the season and we are just managing them and we have to. If you look at Harry Wilson’s performance tonight, I thought he was outstanding. You think of Wightman [Aaron Wightman, he hasn’t played a game in a year and was outstanding.
“Lots of lads are still recovering and they are going to do that in games. The more games you win, you don’t feel as much. It’s all psychological.
“The psychological aspect of tonight is that we won a game. The dressing room is buzzing, everyone is happy but it is the first game of the season and we keep our feet firmly on the ground”.
Debutant and goalscorer Ben Quinn was one of a number of players who caught his manager's eye and Magilton feels there is still more to come and improve on as a team in the coming weeks.
“Ben Quinn is a talented boy, he needs a platform to go and play.
“There is more to come from him, he has come back pre-season really fit. His stats are through the roof and his numbers are through the roof.
“With wide players, you are always going to judge wide players through assists and goals- so he has had an encouraging start- and that goes for any of the players, their stats are going to matter.
“We conceded a goal tonight. That is a disappointing aspect of this game, but six or seven weeks of build up, and there is that nervous tension and you want that spilling out into the game.
“For large chunks I thought we coped with it. We played some decent stuff and can play better. Could it have been comprehensive and were we a bit wasteful? Yeah.
“It’s the first game of the season and we are still a bit rusty, there is no question about it. The lads are still working on fitness and as I say, we build up confidence and try to build up momentum”.
On the transfer front, Magilton confirmed that the club are still active and hoping to add further players to the squad before the summer deadline- with an emphasis in the centre forward position.
“If you were dealing with six or seven weeks and then lads have come in-between that, Bannon and McMaster came in later- we are far from the finished article,” he reflected.
“We are not a million miles from where we want to be and they want to be. Lots of work still to do, but their appetite and their attitude to hard work is most appealing to Gerard Lyttle and myself and their desire to take in information.
“That is going to be tested as we know, and it is going to be tested this season. There is lots of real good things to work with but we are very much still in the market. We need a centre forward- we haven’t hid away from that. We probably need a couple.
“The hardest thing in this game is putting the ball in the net and finding a goalscorer. We are scouring everywhere to try and do that and the best players aren’t for sale, it’s as simple as that.
“We’ll keep doing what we’re doing and try and bring people in that add something to the group. There is a good feeling in the group and that is helped by winning games of course and we’ll move on”.
