Jim Magilton pulled no punches in his assessment of Cliftonville's 2-1 home defeat to Glentoran, pointing directly to a lack of aggression and poor defending. The manager said he took no positives from the Boyle Sports Premiership match at Solitude, where his side conceded an 83rd-minute winner from a corner.

"I just don’t like how we defended," Magilton said. He was particularly frustrated by the team's inability to deal with set-pieces, stating they were "begging" for the visitors to score from a corner. The decisive goal came when a corner was not fully cleared, allowing Jordan Jenkins to fire home.

Cliftonville had fallen behind early to a Jack Malone header but equalised before halftime through a Dean McMaster free-kick. They created three good chances to take the lead in the second half, with Ben Quinn forcing a save from Andrew Mills, Brian Healy almost capitalising on a defensive error, and Shaun Leppard striking the crossbar. Magilton, however, focused on the defensive lapses.

"We lacked that aggression all over the pitch at times," he added, referencing a similar issue in the recent 45-minute performance against Larne. He criticised his two centre-halves as poor and said the team repeatedly failed to get near the first contact from crosses and set-plays. This recent form, with two consecutive losses, has seen the team's goal difference drop to zero, a key metric visible in the detailed stats for the season.

The loss is Cliftonville's second consecutive defeat, following a 2-0 reverse at Larne, and sees them remain fifth in the Premiership standings with 12 points from eight games. They are now ten points behind leaders Coleraine. The team's current position reflects a challenging run, having taken just four points from their last five matches.

Attention now turns to a trip to face 10th-placed Limavady United on Saturday, 26 September, a match where Magilton will demand an immediate response. The fixture is part of a key run of games that will test the squad's depth, with fans able to check the full schedule on the fixtures page. The manager has made it clear that games are decided on set-pieces, a lesson he says has been outlined many times but was not heeded against Glentoran. He will be looking for a significant improvement in the team's defensive application, which has been a clear problem area during this period.

First reported at Cliftonville Football Club