Stephen Baxter hailed a 'midfield masterclass' from Jordan Forsythe despite Carrick Rangers suffering a 3-1 defeat to Cliftonville. The manager made six changes to his side for Saturday's Premiership clash, forced by injuries and suspensions from the previous loss to Linfield.
Baxter was unequivocal in his praise for Forsythe's individual display. "I thought Kym Nelson was magnificent at the back and Jordan Forsythe, we saw a midfield masterclass and he was ‘Man of the Match’ by distance," the Carrick boss said. The performance offered a silver lining on a day where the heavily altered lineup, missing the suspended Jimmy Callacher and Paul Heatley and without Luke McCullough and Billy Joe Burns, struggled for consistency.
The match saw 18-year-old Caleb Hawthorne mark his top-flight debut with a goal, netting in the 11th minute to give Carrick an early lead. Cliftonville responded with goals from Kyle McClelland and Ben Quinn before the break, and a late strike from Daniel McMaster sealed the result. Stand-in captain Joe Crowe and Danny Gibson also featured in the reshuffled side.
This loss, following a 1-1 draw with Ballymena United, means Carrick Rangers have taken just one point from their last two league outings. They currently sit seventh in the Premiership table with 10 points from seven games, a record of three wins, one draw and three defeats. Their recent form reads one win, one draw and three losses from the last five.
Attention now turns to the next fixture, an away trip to face 12th-placed Portadown on December 19. Baxter will hope the return of key personnel can help arrest the slide and build on the positive individual displays seen in this defeat.
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