GERARD LYTTLE says basic principles can be the key to success for Cliftonville this season.
Since assuming the reins in the wake of Tommy Breslin's shock departure in mid-September, Lyttle has won 10 of his 14 matches in charge and has yet to taste defeat in 90 minutes - a statistic he will be hoping to preserve when his troops lock horns with Carrick Rangers on Saturday afternoon.
Tucked five points behind near neighbours Crusaders at the top of the Danske Bank Premiership, Cliftonville visit the Belfast Loughshore Hotel Arena - or Taylor's Avenue as it's most commonly referred to - looking to sign off on a perfect November on a winning note. The Reds have seen off challenges from Warrenpoint Town, Linfield, Glentoran and Ballinamallard United during a testing run of fixtures, but Lyttle maintains there has been no secret formula to their recent surge in form.
“It's down to the players and the attitude they approach each game with,” says Lyttle, who celebrated his 38th birthday on Friday.
“After going to Windsor Park and beating Linfield and then getting the better of Glentoran in a big cup match, we spoke about the importance of not taking our foot off the gas or underestimating any opponent. You see it in football the world over - teams getting big results in one game and them slipping up against a so-called lesser side a few days later. In many ways, those are the most difficult matches because the big fixtures can take care of themselves in many ways.
“I don't sense that attitude in our dressing room, though. Not just on matchdays, but at training throughout the week they're always focused on the job and it doesn't matter who we're playing next - they want to prepare for it as best they can, so that they can produce a performance and get the results that will keep us ticking along.”
While Cliftonville's only loss under Lyttle's guidance was last month's extra-time defeat to Linfield on County Antrim Shield duty, Saturday's opponents must go all the way back to September 12 - ironically, the date Lyttle's predecessor Breslin took charge of the Reds for the final time - to find their most recent Premiership success story.
That 3-1 win over Ballinamallard has since been followed with all manner of what-might-have-beens, with injury-time concessions at home to Glenavon and Portadown costing vital points, while the 3-2 loss against a 10-man Ports at Shamrock Park - where Carrick led 2-0 - have left Gary Haveron's men hovering precariously above the relegation zone.
Aware that Rangers have no shortage of motivation ahead of Saturday's showdown, Lyttle is nevertheless paying greater focus to his own team's preparations.
“We try to look after ourselves and not get bogged down by what's going on elsewhere, who's beating who, who's in what form or anything like that,” he explains.
“It's probably even too early to be properly paying attention to league tables as well, so it's really just a case of taking each game as it comes and doing your homework on your opponents but, most importantly, making sure your own players are ready to go.
“I can't fault the players' attitude since the very first day I stepped into this job, but we need to maintain those levels. We know Carrick will give us a game - they did it at Solitude earlier in the season and have done well against other teams - but the only thing we'll be talking about in our changing room before the match is making sure our heads are right and we're aware of just how hard we're going to be made to work.”
