Danske Bank Irish Premiership: Cliftonville v Coleraine (today, 3pm)
GOAL machine Joe Gormley insists his excellent goal-scoring form this season is down to the faith boss Paddy McLaughlin has shown in him as the Reds resume against high-flying Coleraine this afternoon.
Cliftonville’s record goal-scorer admits that McLaughlin’s man-management style is getting the best out of him having notched 20 goals already this season.
“With Paddy coming in he’s restored everybody’s faith,” Gormley says.
“It’s been incredible because you know what strikers are like; whenever you go off form you can get worried about not scoring, but Paddy has had faith in me throughout and hopefully I’m paying him back for that by scoring the goals that I have.
“I’m probably my own worst critic but at the same time Paddy keeps saying: ‘You’re the best in the business,’ and coming from your manager that gives you confidence, so anything else that comes from other people it doesn’t bother me.
“You obviously get a bit of stick now and again, but it helps when your manager has so much confidence in you.”
Gormley acknowledges there are many different ways to motivate players, but he has always preferred the arm-around-the-shoulder managerial approach.
“To be honest, I don’t think I react to: ‘Listen Joe, you need to get the finger out.’ The arm around the shoulder, I think, helps me.”
Gormley has scored some stunning goals this term – his personal favourite was his rocket against Larne from a tight angle – but pays tribute to the amount of chances his team-mates are creating for him.
“With the team at the minute you’re always going to get chances. The chances I’ve had this year from the boys have been unreal.”
“You have Conor McDermott who set me up for my 200th goal, Conor McMenamin has set up a few, Chris Curran, Ryan Curran, Rory Donnelly – the team creates so many chances and it’s up to me to finish them.
“I don’t feel any pressure – not one bit because of the ability in our team to score goals. There are goals all over the pitch.”
That memorable strike against Larne at Inver Park last month was the kind of chance he thrives off.
He'd no time to consider his options before rifling it past a hapless Conor Devlin.
“I like the quick instinct ones, ball at my feet, shoot. The one-on-ones are probably the hardest. I feel at my strongest when I don’t have to think about it.
“It’s definitely not headers because I’ve only scored eight in my career. I just like the quick instinct – the ball falls in the box, shoot, ball bounces in the box, shoot."
The Ardoyne native returned to Cliftonville at the start of the 2017/18 season after a serious knee injury derailed his crack at full-time football with Peterborough United.
Aged 26 when he moved across the water, the striker says he has no regrets about that period of his career and has never been happier than at Solitude.
“To be honest, I never really look back. It was what it was.
"I had the injury over there but if it’s meant to be it’s meant to be. It was just bad luck. I’ve never been happier. I’m happier now at Cliftonville than I was at Peterborough. It was like I’d never been away.”
Now a member of the 30-club, Gormley wants to finish his playing days at Cliftonville.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been as fit. Somebody mentioned to me recently about being 30 and I said I feel I’m in a 25-year-old body. I want to play as long as I can and as long as Cliftonville want me. I’ll retire whenever they don’t want me. That’s where I want to finish my career."
