Ethan McGee’s header settled Friday night’s tie in favour of David Healy’s side at Windsor Park on a week when the Toronto Investment Group’s takeover of Cliftonville finally got over the line
Jim Magilton focused on the cloud rather than the silver lining after a momentous week for Cliftonville ended with a 1-0 defeat to Linfield at Windsor Park.
With confirmation of the Toronto Investment Group’s takeover finally arriving after a protracted saga, there is a renewed sense of optimism among many at Solitude, having witnessed far too many players walk out the door to join wealthier rivals.
It should mean Magilton has the opportunity to build something meaningful in north Belfast rather than wheeling and dealing every summer, but in the immediate aftermath of losing to an Ethan McGee header from a corner, the Reds boss was only concerned with the here and now.
When asked if the noise around the club in recent days might have been a distraction for his players ahead of Friday night’s game, Magilton was having none of it.
“I’ve kept them well away from it,” he said. “Obviously, the press… they’re not deaf and they’re not blind. They know the news.
“Everyone has a sense of real optimism around the place and that’s great. But as a football manager and football players, the focus is on the game. You’re not distracted.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been distracted whatever noise is coming off the pitch and I bring that to our players.
“The focus is on the game. Do whatever you have to do.
“They were very clear on their roles and responsibilities, with and without the ball tonight. Set pieces very clear. So there are no excuses.
“I just didn’t think we turned up for large parts of the game.”
The former Northern Ireland star did concede that it was good to finally have clarity on the club’s future, but after a shot-shy performance in south Belfast, he reiterated his opinion that reinforcements are urgently needed to help his squad out.
He added: “The board have worked extremely hard. It’s a members’ decision, TIG have made great noises around the football club and what they want to do with the football club.
“That’s fantastic. But I’m here trying to win football matches and whilst it’s great news for everybody, it’s not great news for me tonight in terms of how I dissect this game because I’m disappointed.
“If we want to be successful here we need players of quality. Last weekend we lost Rhys Campbell, Bayo Fapetu and Lewis Ridd for weeks.
“So that’s three bodies down and we’re still struggling. So that’s a board decision again. I will always look to bring good players in.
“We’re nearing the window closing. So it’s to help the players that we have here.
“The quality that we have brought in, I think, has been very good but we need more.”
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