Lowe hoping Reds can kick on in treble bid

KRIS Lowe is looking forward to a massive six or seven weeks after Cliftonville claimed the first major silverware of the season by defeating Coleraine 4-3 in Sunday’s BetMcLean Cup Final.

The Reds came from 2-0 down and needed extra-time to defeat the Bannsiders with substitutes Joe Gormley and Paul O’Neill grabbing braces apiece in front of a crowd of more than 11, 000 supporters.

With the first domestic trophy in the bag, the North Belfast side now has the treble in their sights.

The Reds face Crusaders in the last four of the Irish Cup for the right to play either Ballymena United or Newry City in the decider and, along with Linfield and Glentoran, remain firmly in the Danske Bank Premiership title race with just eight games remaining.

After celebrating winning his second League Cup winners’ medal – the Omagh man won his first with Dungannon Swifts in 2018 – Lowe said he and his team-mates are now fully focused on the challenges ahead.

“We’ve parked this one up, we were back in training Tuesday night. It’s in the past but hopefully this will give us the extra confidence and belief to go on and win the league and the Irish Cup as well,” he said.

“That taste of success will hopefully spur us on as a group. Each game we take now is getting bigger by the week, that’s the way you want it.

“At this time of the year that’s the games you want to be involved in. The more wins you get, the bigger games get and the more pressure and stuff. You’d rather have that than just seeing out the season.

“Better to be fighting at the top of the table rather than the bottom, that’s for sure.

“Every point lost and gained will be crucial. The top teams are improving those around them and you just know that week by week you have to win that game. We need to try and win each and every game because there is every chance that Linfield and Glentoran are likely to win theirs.”

Sunday’s final was going according to plan for Coleraine when Matthew Shevlin and Stephen Lowry scored either side of the hour mark.

But the Reds hit back with Gormley heading home a Ryan Curran cross before O’Neill forced the game into extra-time when swooping on a loose ball after a shot by Gormley came back off the crossbar.

In over-time the sending off of James McLaughlin for an off-the-ball incident swung the pendulum in the Reds favour and O’Neill and Gormley struck again to seal a momentous comeback victory.

A late strike from Curtis Allen proved too little too late to revive the Bannsiders’ hopes and it was the Reds’ 6, 000 supporters who were celebrating at the final whistle.

Lowe believes Cliftonville weren’t at their best on the day but insisted that the result was all that mattered.

“It’s like us to do it the hard way, we never do things easy,” he added.

“It wasn’t a big surprise and it was great to be part of the occasion with over 11, 000 there. I don’t think our performance was the best including myself individually but at the end of the day all that matters on cup final day is the result. Thankfully we got over the line.

“In the build up to the game and walking out onto the pitch it felt bigger and louder than any other occasion but during the match you’re so concentrated on the game that a lot of the noise goes out the window.

“When Coleraine went two up and their fans were celebrating, our fans starting singing louder so we weren’t going to give up on them.

“Chris Curran, Joe Gormley came on and showed their experience, and along with Paul O’Neill, the three subs were arguably our best performers. Sometimes that’s what you need, the boys came on and stepped it up – they had a job to do for the team and they carried it our 100 per cent.”