Liam Boyce back to Cliftonville 'fantasy land stuff' for Reds boss Jim Magilton

Jim Magilton admits bringing Liam Boyce back to Cliftonville would be a dream, but accepts talk of a renewed partnership with Joe Gormley is "fantasy land stuff".

Boyce and Gormley once lit up the Irish Premiership stage, the pair driving the Reds to back-to-back title successes back in 2013 and '14.

Gormley has been leading Cliftonville's goal charge this season, scoring an impressive 13 goals in 17 league appearances.

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For Boyce it has been a frustrating campaign to date at Hearts, with the Northern Ireland striker struggling for game time on Tynecastle.

It has led to some speculation that the 33-year-old could soon be on the move, and Magilton accepts there will be plenty of interest in the Belfast footballer.

Asked if a reunion with Gormley and the Reds could be on the cards at some stage, Magilton said: “We would welcome Liam back to Cliftonville with open arms.

“I would imagine if Liam Boyce is not playing at Hearts then he will be looking to play somewhere and given his track record and CV there will be no shortage of takers for him.

“Would we like Gormley and Boyce back together again? Yes, it would be super, I would be delighted but it could be fantasy land stuff.”

Meanwhile, Magilton has joined the chorus of praise for Liverpool and Northern Ireland star Conor Bradley.

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The Castlederg native grabbed the headlines once again for an imperious display against Real Madrid on Wednesday night, including THAT crunching tackle on Kylian Mbappe.

Magilton - who worked with Bradley during his time as Elite Performance Director at the Irish FA - said: “You can’t take your eyes off Conor,” beamed Magilton, who enjoyed a spell at Liverpool early in his own playing career.

What summed Conor Bradley out was that tackle, it sent out a message. His enthusiasm and appetite for the game — that was Conor Bradley at the age of 10 or 11 when I first saw him.

“That enthusiasm and appetite will always stand him in good stead. There is no question he will have a career in the game and that last night - I was so proud and emotional about seeing a young player from Northern Ireland doing what he does and playing in that manner with an unbelievable freedom.

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“He is playing at right-back, arguably the most difficult position to fill at Liverpool, with zero fear. He has no fear and is making runs — you are asking where he is going and then he plays a fantastic one touch ball to Alexis Mac Allister who then scores the most important goal, the first one.

“If young players from Northern Ireland want to achieve what he has, it is about appetite, attitude and enthusiasm, he has that in abundance and I hope he goes from strength to strength. I’m sure he will.”

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