Danske Bank Irish Premiership: Cliftonville v Linfield (tonight, Solitude, 7.45pm)
CLIFTONVILLE skipper Jason McGuinness has been impressed with the standard of the Irish League since joining the Reds this season – but expects tonight’s first league clash against Linfield to have a bit more spice to it.
McGuinness, who won League of Ireland titles with Bohemians and Sligo Rovers, warmed up with a goal in Cliftonville’s 2-0 win over Ards last weekend.
“I played against Linfield a couple of times in the Setanta Cup but this is the first time playing against them for Cliftonville,” said the 34-year-old Dubliner.
“It’s a great game to be involved in. A couple of the lads have told me about the game and what to expect.”
The Blues, who defeated Ballinamallard United 4-0 on Saturday, can go top if they beat Cliftonville at Solitude tonight after Ballymena United ended Crusaders’ unbeaten run in the Premier Division, while the Reds could go joint third with Coleraine should they topple their visitors.
After signing in the summer from St Patrick’s Athletic, McGuinness was a surprise choice to captain the Cliftonville side.
“I was surprised because ‘Skin’ [Gerard Lyttle] has players that have been there for a long time. There are a lot of leaders in the group and it was a massive honour for me to captain the side."
He added: “I’ve a lot of respect for ‘Skin’ and he was a major reason why I signed for Cliftonville. I was contracted to St Pat’s at the time but I wasn’t enjoying it. I think as a player you need to enjoy your football and if you don’t have motivation in football you can forget about it.
“I played all my career in the League of Ireland so it’s nice to have a change – new grounds, new players, new faces – so I’m enjoying it.
“I got a good feeling about playing in the Irish League and I wanted to get the chance to say I played for a club like Cliftonville and push for honours.
“It’s transition period but I want to be part of that, so that’s a big motivation for me…
“We’re not going to be foolish and say we’re going to win this and we’re going to win that. What we can guarantee is that we’ll fight and we’ll work extremely hard and do our best in every game and see where that takes us.”
