Boss praises his side’s mental toughness after epic cup win

The Bannsiders have had their problems this season, but a corner is being turned. And Tuesday night’s victory over the champions, after going down to 10 men proves that.

“To be fair to the players I don’t care what has been said about them this season, to come through what they’ve come through, and with all the mental baggage which exists because of that, to step up and be counted over the last five games is a real credit to them,” Kearney told Times Sport.

“We can only be concerned with performances and when we perform we have a good chance of beating anyone in this league.

“I thought we were playing really well up until the sending off and we were galvanised after it. It was about digging in and seeing the game out. But they did even more than that they kept playing and scored some good goals. For anyone who has come to watch the game tonight it was a super spectacle.

“They say football can put years on you, that one put decades on me to be honest.

“It was a crazy game of football and one which I just so pleased we held on to. I’m not sure we could have coped with another 30 minutes to be honest.

“To go into a three-goal lead against Cliftonville on a night like this after going down to ten men is a fantastic effort from the lads,” he said.