Old rivalries will be renewed when Cliftonville take on Linfield at Solitude this afternoon
Jim Magilton and David Healy are both desperate to win today’s Belfast derby at Solitude and climb higher up the Sports Direct Premiership.
Their teams are not where they want to be, Linfield off the pace with games in hand, Cliftonville too close to the bottom for comfort.
A win today would also be a welcome shot in the arm for two clubs who have endured some turbulence this season, on and off the pitch.
The Reds have thrived since Magilton took over in 2023, winning the Irish Cup and the League Cup in successive seasons, despite losing quality players each year.
This season was no different as a raft of players left and the former Northern Ireland midfielder found himself outpriced by rival clubs in the transfer window.
Rhyss Campbell was a shrewd piece of business but the former Coleraine and Dungannon winger suffered a serious injury in the second game of the season and will miss most of the campaign.
Results have been patchy and include three league losses in a row to Dungannon, Portadown and Larne in recent weeks, but bounced back with a vital 1-0 win against Carrick Rangers last weekend.
Away from the field of play, a rift within the club has cast a pall over Solitude as members and the incumbent board fight for control.
The bitter battle was prompted by a takeover proposal by Toronto Investment Group (TIG) that was supported by members in April but dragged on through the summer.
Cliftonville chairman Kieran Harding broke off dialogue in July and subsequently became the focus of deep dissatisfaction for a significant number of members.
At the league game against Carrick in September, Harding was handed a letter signed by a third of members calling for his resignation.
The North Belfast businessman has steadfastly refused to bow to calls for him to step down and the malcontent members are in the throes of calling for a vote of no confidence, subject to advice.
It’s civil war behind the scenes and while it is not the cause of inconsistent results on the pitch, it can’t help.
The atmosphere can be despondent at Solitude as fans and members alike yearn for resolution to the issues tearing the club apart, and it is on the horizon.
Cliftonville manager Jim Magilton. Photo: Getty
A sub-committee was implemented at the start of September to review the TIG offer and sources suggest it is close to reporting its findings to the members.
Victory at home today against the reigning league champions would give the Reds a huge lift, players and supporters alike.
But Healy is a canny operator for whom every point is a prisoner, and he will not make life easy for Magilton and his players.
The Blues made an excellent start to the defence of their crown, winning their opening three games and holding a strong Glentoran team to a 1-1 draw.
A 1-0 defeat to Ballymena exposed a chink in the armour and more recently Linfield lost successive games against Portadown (2-0) and Cliftonville (4-1), a big no-no at Windsor Park.
Healy’s team has looked short on experience at times, understandably bearing in mind the short-term loss of Jamie Mulgrew and long-term loss of Chris Shields, two of the most decorated players on the island of Ireland.
“Jamie has been making progress”, said Healy in an injury update ahead of today’s game.
“He’s not quite there yet, but thankfully it’s not as serious as we first feared.
“Unfortunately, Shielsy is a long-term injury, Alex Gorrin is making good progress, Robbie McDaid is close to full fitness and Cammy Palmer is still a little way off.
“We’ll have a few changes from the side that played in the County Antrim Shield last week, when we were humbled.
“We need to put in a better performance this time. The squad knows that, and we’re united as a group.”
Kyle Lafferty’s crass attack on the South Belfast club did little to lighten the mood before last Tuesday night’s trip to the Coleraine Showgrounds to play Ruaidhri Higgins’ array of talent, coming away with a creditable 2-2 draw.
The Blues raced to a 2-0 lead but were pegged back when Higgins replaced Cameron Stewart and Aaron Jarvis with Lyndon Kane and Kodi Lyons-Foster, who arguably should have started.
The Linfield manager knows he has a fight on his hands for the Gibson Cup and Coleraine have the financial muscle to plunder the market again in January, while Healy’s war chest is not as bountiful.
If he wants to land the club’s 58th league title he will have to do it the hard way, a war of attrition every weekend in pursuit of glory.
Today is a battle in a long war, and Magilton and Healy will forego their friendship to become bitter foes for 90 minutes.
