TIGHTEN UP IN DEFENCE

The Blues face Cliftonville at Mourneview Park on Saturday with the game kicking off at the earlier time of 2pm due to undergoing work on the club’s floodlighting system.

Quinn’s men will be looking to go one better than the point they gained on Tuesday night by gaining all three on Saturday but the boss knows that his defence must be on top form to block out Cliftonville’s talented attack.

“We have to tighten up defensively,” he said simply.

“We can’t concede stupid goals like the one we conceded last Saturday which was a complete lack of communication between the goalkeeper and the defenders. It was a ball into the box which should have been cleared and then a shot which should have been saved so it wasn’t good at all.

“Cliftonville are strong all over the park and any team with Chris Scannell in it is going to be a good side. Chris is an excellent player whom I know well having brought him into Irish League football many years ago. Young Boyce is learning off him too and Kieran O’Connor’s on a roll at the minute and is scoring goals. They’re a potent force all over.”

Indeed, the Solitude side are in top form and have won all of their last six Carling Premiership matches. The Reds are thus sitting just six points of the top of the table with three games in hand on leaders, Crusaders but Quinn is confident that his team can bring the good form of their opponents to an abrupt end on Saturday afternoon

Before Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw with Lisburn Distillery, Quinn had spoken of his desire to win both of this week’s games but will now have to make do with a maximum of four points. However, Quinn knows that even this won’t be an easy task with former Derry City defender, Peter Hutton now shoring up the defence of Eddie Patterson’s Cliftonville side.

“Hopefully we can take three points from Tuesday night’s game and our confidence will be up again and we can get something out of the game on Saturday. There’s no reason why not,” he had said.

“Six points from the two games would be fantastic and it would kick-start our league campaign. Our plans are to be in the top six. It’s in our hands and we have to push forward.

“I had Cliftonville watched on Saturday and my scout, Jimmy Calvin was very, very impressed with them.

“They’re a very hard working side with a lot of flair and Peter Hutton has come in from Derry City now and is marshalling them at the back so they’ll be hard to break down.”