Cliftonville boss Jim Magilton shocked by Reds’ Boxing Day suffering at Solitude

Jim Magilton is looking forward to his first taste of the Boxing Day derby as Cliftonville manager

Defender Sean Stewart made his return from injury during Cliftonville's 2-0 success over Ballymena United

Cliftonville marksman Ronan Hale was on target during the Reds' 2-0 victory over Ballymena United

Jim Magilton looked shocked to learn that 11 years have passed since Cliftonville last celebrated a festive derby victory over Crusaders at Solitude.

A solitary Joe Gormley goal on Boxing Day 2012 sent the Reds soaring clear at the top of the Premiership en route to the first of those infamous back-to-back title wins under Tommy Breslin.

In the decade-plus since, Cliftonville have only tasted yuletide success once, and that was at Seaview in 2019. Their record against the Crues on home soil during that period has been pretty sorry – even allowing for the caveat that saw the 2020 and 2021 contests played on alternative dates due to Covid-enforced postponements.

Though Magilton has presided over two 3-0 victories in the sides’ meetings in the 2023/24 term, he has to double-check that the statistics put before him relating to their Christmas form are accurate before replying with a succinct “Wow”.

He adds: “It’s a big game and a big fixture that we have good memories of this season. That’s important.

“Going into a game like that with good memories and positive thoughts can be a help, but Crusaders have got so many good players and it’s going to be a very difficult game, but we’ve got to approach it in a positive frame of mind.

“We’ll do that. I’m sure the players are looking forward to it, and certainly the staff are all looking forward to it.”

The former Northern Ireland international has prior experience of the seasonal