CLIFTONVILLE may be in the midst of a seven-game winning streak in all competitions, but George McMullan has said one slip could prove fatal to their Gibson Cup hopes.
League leaders Crusaders stretched their lead over the Reds to eight points following Friday night’s 3-1 victory over Coleraine at Seaview. That has added more pressure on Cliftonville, who already had very little room for error.
“It’s about the momentum, it’s about keeping the run going,” said McMullan.
“The form’s good, we’re trying to catch Crusaders and we must win every game. They’re all must-win. We can’t slip up and, if we don’t, it should make the Boxing Day clash between us very interesting.”
Before that, though, comes Saturday’s trip to the Oval to face a Glentoran side who have been entertaining, to say the least, in their last two league fixtures. A 4-2 win away to Ballymena United caught the eye, but they were brought back down to earth with a 5-3 loss to Portadown on Monday evening.
“Our matches against Glentoran are always tight and this is going to be no different,” McMullan added.
“We have to go there and get three points, but it’s going to be a real battle.”
Manager Gerard Lyttle may have completed the signing of highly-rated striker Daniel Hughes from Warrenpoint earlier this week, but it will be January before he’s available for selection.
McMullan believes his capture was a sign of intent from the Solitude outfit: “I was playing against him the other night [League Cup] and he looked a quality player," he said.
“He was much sought after. Linfield and Glentoran were chasing him, I think Dundalk may have even been after him too. To pull in a player that was so sought after is a big plus point for the club, we must be doing something right.
“He was down meeting the boys and we can’t wait to get him on board.”
