Nedas Maciulaitis will appreciate the chance to observe one of the finest finishers in the game at close quarters today when Carrick Rangers travel to Solitude. (3pm).
Joe Gormley won the Player of the Month award for November after a blistering few weeks that propelled him to the top of the goalscoring charts.
If Gormley is delivering quantity with 14 goals so far this season for Cliftonville, Maciulaitis can match him for quality as his winning goal against Ballymena United last weekend was a thing of beauty.
The 25-year-old admits he wants to add more to his game under new manager Stephen Baxter and says he need look no further than Gormley to pick up tips.
“He’s inspirational, he’s someone you look up to because he’s got every goal in the book”, said Maciulaitis.
“He can score from distance, he’s a poacher as well and he’s one of the best strikers in the league, if not the best.
“You can only watch and learn from him, and adding goals and assists is my key priority.
“We didn’t start the season too well, nor did I personally, so it was about pulling out all the stops to help the team perform better and being the best possible version of myself.
“Confidence was very low in the team when Stephen came in, we fell into a slump of losing and it becomes a habit.
“Since Stephen came in, everything has been very positive from his end and all the players are taking to it very easily.
“He has instilled confidence into us once again. There’s obviously a very strong team there so there’s no reason why we can’t compete.
“Momentum is important. If you pick up a few results it always becomes easier and with the Christmas period coming with games every three or four days you want to keep winning.
“That’s the aim anyway.”
The Reds are flying high in second place with only one defeat in their last nine games and have only lost five games in the Sports Direct Premiership this term.
Carrick were one of the five, beating Cliftonville 2-0 at Taylor’s Avenue in September, just before Baxter replaced Stuart King as manager.
A rejuvenated Gormley is mindful of that defeat and is also acutely aware that, due to limited appearances, Rangers have not been on the receiving end of late.
“I scored 13 goals last season and the year before that I don’t think it was as high, so I probably haven’t scored against Carrick in two or three years”, said the Cliftonville hitman.
“They are a great team and are managed by Stephen Baxter who has been in the league for years and is a great manager.
“There’s no doubt that he will have Carrick playing well and they beat us 2-0 in the last game, so we know it’s going to be difficult.
“It’s one we are looking forward to as I feel confident in myself and the goals are flowing.”
