Soccer

Cliftonville manager Barry Gray rules out selling Joe Gormley

Joe Gormley has scored 12 goals for Cliftonville so far this season
Joe Gormley has scored 12 goals for Cliftonville so far this season Joe Gormley has scored 12 goals for Cliftonville so far this season

Danske Bank Premiership: Cliftonville v Newry City (tonight, 7.45pm)

CLIFTONVILLE manager Barry Gray has said striker Joe Gormley is going nowhere as he aims to build a side capable of challenging consistently for the top honours in the Irish League.

Reports over the weekend suggested Shamrock Rovers were preparing a bid for the north Belfast man, but Gray has poured cold water on the idea as the Reds prepare to face Newry City in the Danske Bank Premiership tonight.

“Joe always has and always will attract notions from other clubs,” said Gray of Cliftonville’s all-time leading goal scorer.

“We’re coming into silly season here. But my position is simple: I’m building a team here, not taking one apart, and I need my best players to be able to do that and that hasn’t changed and it won’t change.”

Gormley will be hoping to add to his tally of 12 for the season at Solitude tonight and, if he can, Cliftonville would be well on their way to cutting the gap to league leaders Glenavon to six points.

With results going in their favour over the weekend – Linfield lost at home to Coleraine while Glenavon could only pick up a point against Warrenpoint – Gray is eager for his side to take full advantage.

“I was looking two boring draws over the weekend, to be honest,” he joked.

“But the results have given us a big incentive. In previous years, after the start we’ve had, we would’ve been out of contention already, but this season is wide open.

“But that’s all easy to say without us having played a match this weekend yet. We haven’t made up any ground just yet. After tomorrow, we’ve a run of games with the top four or five teams and we want to be going into them with our confidence as high as it possibly can be.

“If we can make it four wins from four tomorrow night, then we’ll be in a good state.”

Since losing to Crusaders at the beginning of October, Cliftonville have put a string of wins together against Warrenpoint, Coleraine and Ards and will move into fourth place, a point behind Ballymena, if they win tonight.

After that, they play David Jeffrey’s side, Linfield and Glenavon – the current top three – all before Christmas.

Gray knows this is now entering the crunch period of the season: “Nobody is putting their necks on the line at the minute and saying who the favourites for the title are.

“But these are all ifs and buts. We’ll take it step-by-step. If we win tonight, we’ll be delighted to be in and around the contenders.”