Lyttle in a spot of bother as Cliftonville struggle

Cliftonville boss Gerard Lyttle has demanded more from his squad, as they endure a poor run of form that's seen them win just 2 of their last 12 matches.

The victories came against Ards, and the bottom side Portadown.

Lyttle's side have also racked up the unenviable record of having missed 7 of their last 8 penalties.

Although the Reds began the season well, their last successful run of results came between November and December as they won 5 on the spin.

"I am very frustrated, but at the end of the day I'm the manager and I pick the team, so I've got to take responsibility as well - I'm big and ugly enough," Lyttle said.

"I need to find a team that can go out and win on Saturday, and it's up to me to get them going and find a solution."

The spot kick debacle continued on Monday night at Windsor Park. With the scores poised at 1-all, Jay Donnelly sent his effort wide, and the Blues were soon 2-0 ahead.

"Never in my life have I seen anything like it, it's ridiculous. And the penalties we've missed have come at crucial times in games. Daniel Hughes was practising penalties before the Ballinamallard game and he stuck ten out of ten into the top corner. He gets a penalty in the game... and he misses."

"It's a mental thing now. Once we score one, that's it over. But when we get a penalty now, you're thinking, 'we don't want it!'" Lyttle joked.

The manager has been honest in his assessment of Cliftonville's fortunes. Their bleak run comes just as Coleraine are hitting their stride. As it stands, the Bannsiders are just 1 point behind with a game in hand.

"It's just horrible at the minute, but we need to find a solution. It's up to us to stick together, pull ranks, roll the sleeves up, dig deep and just stop feeling sorry for ourselves. Yeah we've a few players out - but get over it. Nothing we can do about that."

With Ballymena enjoying their best season in recent years, there's a risk that Cliftonville could slip out of the top 4. Lyttle is determined to finish the season on a high, and lock down a 3rd place finish.

"In previous seasons we've dropped at this time of the year, so it's time to go out and prove people wrong."

This Saturday Cliftonville are away to Dungannon Swifts.