Irish Premiership: Crusaders v Cliftonville (Thursday, Seaview, 3pm)
CLIFTONVILLE ace Ronan Doherty says losing three of their top strikers in the summer is the key reason for their inconsistent form this season.
As their St Stephen’s Day joust with neighbours Crusaders approaches, the Reds are in fifth spot, 16 points off pace-setters Linfield. They’ve lost three of their last five league outings while their hosts on Thursday are arguably more erratic losing three on the bounce.
After winning the Irish Cup for the first time since 1979, strikers Ben Wilson, Ronan Hale and Sam Ashford left Cliftonville.
Irish Cup hero Hale headed off to Ross County in the Scottish Premiership, Wilson left for Airdrie and Ashford moved on to Wealdstone – a semi-professional outfit in London.
Chris Curran also announced his retirement at the end of last season.
Joe Gormley’s outstanding goalscoring form this term – 15 league goals – has helped significantly, but boss Jim Magilton hasn’t the same options as last season
The cause-and-effect analysis at Solitude is obvious for Doherty.
“I think we lost 50-something goals with the three strikers that left,” says the Donegal man.
“It’s just unfortunate for us that they left at the same time. There’s nothing the management or the team can do to replace those goals - we just have to accept it and hope another Ronan Hale comes along.”
Although Cliftonville were right in last season’s title race, Magilton coped admirably after losing Luke Turner and Chris Gallagher to St Patrick’s Athletic and Larne, respectively in January – two key cogs that ultimately damaged the club’s championship aspirations.
“I think if we’d held on to those two players we would have gone on and won the league,” says Doherty.
“Obviously, we dropped off near the end, but they were two massive players.”
The midfield schemer adds: “We’re having an up and down season – we’re playing well for a few games and we look like we’re flying and then we get a dodgy result. So, it is frustrating we’re not putting together unbeaten runs of six or seven games which a lot of teams have done. We’ll win three or four, lose one, win three or four, lose one.
“It’s just about sticking with Linfield as best we can and hope they have a blip at some stage.”
Now in his sixth year with Cliftonville, Doherty has loved every minute at Solitude. He spent a few of his teen years at Institute before settling with local Inishowen club Cockhill Celtic.
Paddy McLaughlin later signed him and Doherty returned to Institute for another season before the pair landed at Cliftonville a year later.
A firm favourite with the Reds faithful, Doherty says: “It’s flown by. I didn’t think I’d get this far. Football is mad. You don’t know what can happen from one year to the next…
“That’s one thing about our changing room, everyone sticks together, it’s a homely club with good people involved.
“We’re part-time and I think we’ve overachieved over the last three or four years because you’re up against teams with a lot of money - but we’ve stuck at it and done well for ourselves.”
The Reds haven’t won in the league since a 4-0 thrashing of Loughall on November 23, while you have to go further back – November 9 – to find Crusaders’ last victory in the league (also against Loughgall).
Ahead of Thursday’s eagerly awaited derby clash, Doherty admits: “When I arrived I didn’t know it was always Cliftonville v Crusaders on Boxing Day – until someone told me.
“You look forward to the game every year and there’s extra bite to it. It’s 100 miles per hour and you don’t seem to have the same space at Seaview as you do at Solitude. It’s never an easy game but it’s about getting a wee bit of luck and taking any chances you get.”