Jeffrey urging United to show fighting spirit
CLIFTONVILLE boss Paddy McLaughlin will take no risks with record goalscorer Joe Gormley at Windsor Park tonight even with the opportunity to win his first silverware in charge of the Solitude club.
Gormley has been nursing a hamstring problem lately but is expected to be named in the squad for the Toals County Antrim Shield final against Ballymena United.
Whether he features from the start or the bench or at all will be up to McLaughlin, who is wary of aggravating the issue and will do what is best for the club and the player.
Ideally, Cliftonville would love their main man out on the pitch for the decider.
Gormley is the top scorer in the Irish League this season and will fancy his chances of hitting the net this evening.
McLaughlin, though, will look at the bigger picture knowing that he will need Gormley for the title race and Irish Cup, both of which provide avenues into European football.
“Joe is obviously a massive player for us and everyone knows about his goal threat but we have to be careful with him,’’ said McLaughlin.
Having come off in the 2-1 loss at home to Linfield, Gormley was a second-half substitute in Saturday’s 1-0 league defeat at Carrick Rangers. It was a disappointing way for McLaughlin to mark his 50th match as boss of the Reds and saw them drop to fifth in the table having been top dogs earlier in the month.
Should Gormley play, he won’t come up against the man he views as his toughest opponent in the Irish League — Ballymena’s inspirational skipper Jim Ervin, extremely unfortunate to pick up an injury during his side’s 3-0 home defeat to Glenavon at the weekend.
McLaughlin has excelled at the north Belfast outfit since arriving from Institute in February. The style of play is easy on the eye and the results have largely been impressive.
Winning a trophy would offer him and his players some tangible reward for their efforts.
“I wouldn’t say this is the biggest game we have been involved in since I arrived because we had the European play-offs and some vital league matches but I do believe it is an important game in terms of the team’s development,’’ said McLaughlin.
“I’ve always believed no matter what the level that when a group of good players win their first trophy together it drives them on even more and I believe that can be the case with us.
“The league positions might suggest we will be considered favourites but I think it will be a tight game and certainly a tough one for us so we will have to perform.
“David Jeffrey has been an outstanding manager for many years and he has a very good side and very good players at his disposal at Ballymena. We won’t be taking anything for granted, that’s for sure.
“I’m pleased the final is at Windsor because it is a fantastic stage and hopefully it turns out to be an entertaining game and obviously I want our players and our fans to be celebrating at the end of it.’’
Meanwhile, Crusaders have signed former Northern Ireland
Under-21 defender Cameron Dummigan, adding to the array of talent already at Seaview.
The 23-year-old joins up with Stephen Baxter’s side from Dundalk with the Crues hoping he can be a key figure in their quest for league and cup glory in the remaining months of the season.
Prior to his short spell with Dundalk, Dummigan was a favourite at Oldham having started his professional career at Burnley.
It could prove to be an astute signing for the Seaview side, who, after an inconsistent spell, have beaten Coleraine and Larne in the last two league games 1-0 and 3-0 respectively, moving into second behind Glentoran. They are now on a run of five wins in a row in all competitions without conceding a goal.
There is a sense at the Shore Road club and around the league that they are ready to make the type of late-season charge that has become their trademark.
IT would be fair to say that Ballymena United go into tonight’s Co Antrim Shield final against Cliftonville with confidence at a huge low.
After a promising first half of December, the Sky Blues have fallen off the rails, defeated by Glentoran, Coleraine, Larne and Glenavon in the Danske Bank Premiership.
The only bright spot was a narrow win over Crumlin Star in the Sadler’s Peaky Blinder Irish Cup and they will hope another knockout clash with another team from north Belfast will see them return to winning ways.
United lifted the trophy in 2012 and 2016, and it has always been a particular favourite of David Jeffrey as it was the first of the huge array of silverware he accumulated at Windsor Park.
And it is back at his old stomping ground tonight that his side go, with the influential Adam Lecky back from suspension and one of the few guaranteed to be in the starting XI after Saturday’s defeat by Glenavon.
“I said to the players afterwards that it will give us an opportunity to get some fresh legs in, and that’s the long and short of it,” said Jeffrey. “We have people there who are back and training, they haven’t played for some time, but Tuesday is a one-off game and it’s an opportunity to let people get out and play.
“It’s a blank canvas, we haven’t even started to think about personnel. It’s very simple, you either stop fighting and give up or you keep battling on.
“I just hope we get a wee bit of good fortune along with a performance. Obviously we want to win the trophy but I just hope we get a wee bit of good fortune and by that I mean for decisions to go for us and not against us.”
Definitely out is skipper Jim Ervin with a medial knee ligament injury and on-loan Kyle Owens who is cup-tied, so it will be a patched-up defence.
“They are quality and have bought well. When you think they’ve got Ruaidhri Donnelly, Michael McCrudden, Joe Gormley, the two Curran lads, they are pretty impressive. But we’ll give it a crack,” added Jeffrey.