Cliftonville boss Paddy McLaughlin issues warning over threat of in-form Dungannon Swifts

McLaughlin’s men got back on track after three consecutive Danske Bank Premiership games without a win by securing midweek success over Carrick Rangers.

Now they aim to inject another boost into the club’s title charge with success at Solitude over the Swifts. However, McLaughlin enters the fixture with a note of caution despite the 31-point gap between the clubs.

“They seem to have come out of the dip they’d found themselves in and the signings they’ve made have made a difference to them pretty much straight away,” said McLaughlin. “They had a good January in terms of results and the work they were able to do in the transfer window and you can see by how things have gone for them over the last few weeks that they’re a very different proposition now.

“By all accounts, they were seriously unlucky not to get something against Linfield at Windsor Park on Tuesday night, so that tells us we’re in for a very difficult game.

“Dungannon had been down there scrapping for their lives at the bottom end of the table but they’ve opened up a bit of a gap in the last few weeks, so their tails will be up and they’ll not be coming here just to make up the numbers.”

McLaughlin also offered special praise for goalkeeper Richard Brush following one particular moment of magic in the defeat of Rangers in which his manager felt “no other keeper in the division makes that save”.