Distillery ready for Sky live match

Tim McCann is ready to lead his men to Solitude for the glamour tie, which will have that little bit of an extra incentive for the Whites, who will want to give a good account of themselves, despite a run of poor results this season.

McCann felt his side were showing signs of turning performances into points with a draw against Coleraine recently, but a disappointing showing last time out against Glentoran saw the Whites slip back to the foot of the table.

Ahead of Monday night’s clash with the current league leaders, Tim McCann said: “It’s going to be the first time the club has been on TV so it’s a big night for the club in general. The players are looking forward to it. I hope they do themselves proud and are focused on getting a result.

“Everyone expects us to get hammered, especially since Cliftonville have scored 11 goals in two games, but this may be a good time to surprise them. In an event like this people will raise their game.”

McCann added: “I’ve told the players last weekend was totally unacceptable. The difference in attitude and application from the Coleraine game was unbelievable, I’ve told them you can’t switch on and off.”

For McCann personally, Monday will be a special night as he returns to Solitude.

“This is my first time back to Solitude as a manager, the last time I was there was as a player for them when they won the league championship.”