Coleraine danger man Rhyss Campbell is hopeful his side can get on a “winning streak” when they face Cliftonville on Tuesday night at Solitude in the Sports Direct Irish Premiership.
Campbell scored the winner for the Bannsiders in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Ballymena United as they ended a losing streak of three games.
They are now back on their travels against a Reds side who occupy eighth position in the table, just two spots below Coleraine.
The former Dungannon Swifts man is expecting another tough encounter in north Belfast.
“Cliftonville are a good side that’s for sure,” he said.
“It’s one we will be going into positively now after getting the win (over Ballymena).
“It has been a difficult few weeks having gotten beat three games on the bounce. But the win on Saturday has broken that duck and now we can hopefully go on a winning streak.”
Manager Dean Shiels is not getting carried away by results of late and recognises that the Bannsiders are in an early phase of their full-time project.
“We are still really early-on in this full-time programme, we are still making mistakes,” he explained.
“But, we are trying to improve as a club on and off the pitch, and we are a young team and we are trying to push the club forward.
“It’s going to be tough on Tuesday, particularly as we have had a number of away games recently.
“But, we will go there with a lift and a bounce now. It is a quick turnaround and we have to get our recovery right and go again,” he continued.
“We can’t just pat ourselves on the back over one win we must go an back it up against Cliftonville now.”
It is not only Shiels side who are desperate for a run of form. Jim Magilton’s men have now gone five league games without a win, and a strong start to the campaign in August now feels like a distant memory.
Having failed to retain or incorporate a goal scorer in the transfer window has left them relying largely on Joe Gormley, but the veteran often appears lacking in support in attack. Just three goals in those previous five games paints a picture of its own.
Saturday’s dire 0-0 draw away to Glenavon has not filled the hearts of the faithful with much hope and Magilton will demand a reaction on Tuesday.
Although the two sides have not met so far this year, Cliftonville can point to holding the edge on recent form between the sides. You have to go back a whopping 10 games until you can find a Coleraine win in this fixture, and that was achieved on penalties in a League Cup tie back in 2022.
The feeling is that if Magilton can steady the ship until January then there is bound to be funds available to expand the squad having lost both Ben Wilson and Ronan Hale in the summer. However, another defeat to Shiels’ side on Tuesday and the murmurings of discontent will get all the more louder.
The bookies fancy a home win but I wouldn’t be betting your house on it just yet.
