JOE Gormley revealed that his two young sons are proving an inspiration in the twilight of his career.
Cliftonville made it two wins from two, beating Glenavon 2-1 at Mourneview Park, Gormley and Shea Gordon on target while James Doona pulled one back.
“My two young boys go to every game so when I score I look for them in the crowd. It’s amazing having them here. They asked me to do ‘the Mbappe’ if I scored. They’ve asked me to do ‘the Ronaldo’ in the past but I’m not trying that one!” laughed the 34-year-old north Belfast man.
It was skipper Gormley’s first goal of the campaign and he added: “The first one of the season is always the hardest one to get and hopefully that kicks things off for the rest of the season.
“We are playing well and hopefully I can make the most of the chances that the boys provide.
“We had a lot of boys moving on at the end of the season so boys that come in are going to have to settle in quickly. They’ve done that and we’ve two wins out of two.”
Cliftonville won the Irish Cup last season but faded out of the title picture as Larne made it back-to-back successes, and Gormley added: “Trying to compete with the likes of Larne and Linfield is always going to be tough. We are hoping to be there or thereabouts. At Cliftonville it’s about challenging for league titles and cups so we’ll see where it takes us.”
The Reds host Dungannon Swifts on Tuesday night.
An injury time Niall McGinn goal gave Glentoran a 2-1 win over Portadown at Shamrock Park after Jordan Jenkins had put the visitors in front with substitute Ryab Mayse equalising.
Glens boss Declan Devine, whose side are at home to Coleraine on Tuesday night, said: “Full credit to the lads, last week (against Crusaders) was a really poor performance, but we started really well on the front foot, the players gave everything, and the fans supported us.
“We take the three points, we were fortunate to get the late deflected goal, but we showed great character to get the win and I thought we deserved the victory.”
Loughgall stunned Carrick Rangers 3-0 at Lakeview Park, Jordan Gibson with a double and a goal from Benji Magee doing the damage. The Villagers host derby rivals Portadown on Tuesday night.
Coleraine had a 4-2 home win over derby rivals Ballymena United on Friday night, while Sunday’s clash between Crusaders and Larne at Seaview has been postponed due to the champions’ European commitments with the Crues taking on the Braidmen at the Showgrounds on Wednesday night.
