Paddy McLaughlin says no one has given Cliftonville a “cat chance in hell” to stay in the title race for the last five games of the season.
The Reds were off the field 16/1 with the bookmakers at the start of the season, but over time they are one point behind leaders Linfield, who heads into their first two games today in North Belfast (17:30).
The Win and Solitude Men, who last won the title during the late Tommy Breslin in 2013 and 2014, will be the best dogs with four matches at the top of the Premier League.
“I don’t think anyone is going to give us a cat in hell to be where we are, there are still five games left,” said McLaughlin, who was named Actiphora’s coach of the year yesterday in March.
“But no one in our dressing room is surprised by how we look or how we play. I know how good these guys are and what they can produce.
“I never doubted their abilities, but the only thing that surprised me was their persistence and how tough they were.
“I can’t give them enough respect for what they did. Being one point behind in the first five games is unimaginable.
Although Cliftonville plays in the league – they’ve scored the most points in their last eight games – Linfield is the only team they haven’t been able to beat this season.
The Blues knocked them out in the Antrim Shield County semi-finals while in the league they scored two draws and one defeat.
Asked if today was the right time to set that record, McLaughlin said: “Any moment is the time to beat Linfield because they are the best dogs in the division.
“They wear really strong clothes and they have a great manager and guy at David Hill, so you have to do your best to defeat them.
“Two good football teams will compete against each other and that’s three points, but whatever happens, the league is not going to win or lose this weekend.”
Asked if McLaughlin saw any of the three title contenders scoring the most points in the remaining five games, he replied: “It’s going to be very difficult.
“Given the intensity of the matches after the split and the quality of the teams, if someone wins the last five matches, they deserve to win the title.
Everything can develop very quickly, even in football. You may miss a few weeks or it may be gone. The only thing you can do is focus on the next match.
“None of the teams have an advantage at this point in the season. We all have five games ahead and anything can happen. There is a lot at stake, but there is a lot of play.”
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Source: Belfastlive
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