League Cup semi-final: Ballymena United v Cliftonville (tonight, Ballymena Showgrounds, 7.45pm)
CLIFTONVILLE boss Barry Gray has urged Reds supporters to be patient and that making the desired changes at the club won’t happen overnight.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s scheduled League Cup semi-final against Ballymena United, Gray confessed he was close to reacting to some negative comments from a very small number of the club’s supporters after the Reds conceded a late equaliser to Glenavon at Mourneview Park last Saturday afternoon.
“The support at Cliftonville is very vocal and very influential,” said Gray, who took over the first team reins last summer.
“It may not influence me personally – they can talk about me all they like, good, bad or indifferent. I’ve a job to do and I have a mindset of how I’m going to do it and it’ll be for the right reasons.
“But players can be influenced very quickly – in a good way but also in a bad way [by supporters]. I don’t mind taking a bit of hit but the players were low [on Saturday]; they’d just conceded a late equaliser and there were a few shouting negative comments.
“It’s not easy walking off the field conceding a late goal. It was the first time that I could easily have bitten back to answer one or two of the comments but I’m preaching to the players not to react.
“A few hours later you realise it’s not the end of the world.”
Gray stressed, however, “99.9 per cent” of Cliftonville supporters appreciate the changes that are needed at Solitude.
“It’s going to take a lot of time before we see the overall changes,” said the Reds boss. “It’s very difficult to put a set time on it. We’ve taken seven or eight players into the team this year so that has to be taken into account.
“[But] Every time there’s a glimmer of hope, some fans want you to go on and win leagues – and so do we – but it’s not going to happen overnight, it’s just not.
“Some people like to pick the negatives in everything you do, and we can’t change that.
“My message to our supporters is that this is a work-in-progress and we need to be patient. And if that small group wants to get on my back and the players’ backs, that’s not going to help. But you have to give praise to the other 99.9 per cent of our supporters who are behind us and know what we’re trying to achieve.”
Gray hopes that a League Cup semi-final win over David Jeffrey’s side tonight will act as a springboard to greater things this season.
“This is one of the competitions that Cliftonville have a good record in and while the good record and stats in this competition are nothing to do with me, it’s one that you want to keep building on.
“If we could get to the cup final it could be a case of taking the next step and it would help the mentality of the players if we could get through and possibly win it. I’m sure every team left in the competition is feeling the same way.
“It’ll be one of those games where you have to fire everything at it like Ballymena will.”
With snow forecast today both Cliftonville’s last four clash with the Braidmen and Crusaders’ trip to Dungannon Swifts could be postponed.
Should they fall victim to the weather, it has been mooted they will be played tomorrow night but re-fixing the games for a later date is the more likely outcome.
Chris Curran (groin) is expected to return to action on Saturday for Cliftonville, while Ruairi Harkin, a used sub against Glenavon, is expected to get several run-outs with the club’s U20s to improve his match fitness after a long injury lay-off.