Danske Bank Premiership: Ards v Cliftonville (today, 3pm)
CLIFTONVILLE manager Gerard Lyttle has his sights firmly on wresting the Danske Bank Premiership title from north Belfast rivals Crusaders this season.
The Reds kick off the new campaign with a trip to newly-promoted Ards this afternoon knowing they need to hit the ground running if they are to improve on last season’s fourthplaced finish.
The Solitude side ended up 27 points off the top and Lyttle has added experience to his squad.
“We have a quality squad of players and now we’ve added to that quality with more quality. On top of that, we’ve added a bit of leadership and a bit of age because we were a very young team. I think our average age was 24 and a half.
“We’ve brought in Jason McGuinness who had played down south and won plenty of league titles and he beefs the defence up. So does big Jason Mooney who has played in England alongside Chris Ramsey who is experienced but young. He’s been about for a long time,” said Lyttle who has also snapped up classy midfielder Ruairi Harkin from Coleraine.
“I’m really looking forward to getting going because it’s been a long pre-season. We’ve worked extremely hard and the boys are just chomping at the bit to get started.”
Lyttle takes his side to the Bangor Fuels Arena to take on an Ards side that will be almost unrecognisable from the one that stormed to the Championship title last season.
With 16 new players in and the same number departing, they will be something of an unknown quantity.
Though while Ards boss Niall Currie is a shrewd operator, Cliftonville will be fully expected to take all three points today but Lyttle isn’t taking anything for granted.
“You’ve no right to walk onto a pitch and expect three points. You’ve got to work hard for them and that will be the message to the players.
“If you have that work ethic aligned with ability then it bodes well. Work hard and give us an honest performance and hopefully that’s enough,” he said.
“We’ll not be going to Ards expecting just to arrive and pick up three points.
“It’s always hard against a team coming up because they want to impress the league and their manager.”
While last season’s top four have all strengthened considerably in the close season, Lyttle has his eyes on bringing as many trophies as he can to the club.
“That’s why you’re in the game. You want to be as successful as possible.
“I’m still a young manager. I’m still learning and I’ll continue to learn as I go along,” he said.
“I want to win the league, the Irish Cup, the County Antrim Shield. I want to win everything. At Cliftonville, we’re expected to be up there winning things. We’ve gone through a transitional period over the last two or three years and added fresh faces.
“The likes of your George McMullans, the Scannells, Boyce, Gormley; they are all away. That’s history.
“We’re still progressing, we’re still learning and we’ve bough in players that want to win.”
