Stephen Baxter, the manager of Carrick Rangers, expressed his desire for Danny Gibson to deliver a “big performance,” and the striker responded impressively by scoring a hat-trick in a decisive 4-1 victory over Cliftonville.
Gibson found the back of the net twice in the first half and completed his treble in the second half, with Paul Heatley also contributing a goal, leading Carrick to their first league win since October 31.
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After the match, Baxter shared his joy at Gibson breaking his scoring drought, having encouraged the forward to “make himself the hero” during their visit to Solitude.
“He’s faced a challenging couple of months without scoring as much as he’d like, so it was crucial for him to believe in himself, move past it, and play his natural game. He accomplished that,” Baxter told BBC Sport NI.
“I thought he and Paul Heatley were a constant threat, applying pressure to the defense from start to finish.”
“Of course, he’ll grab the headlines, but there were solid performances across the team. It’s a collective effort that matters most to me.”
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Baxter was pleased with how Carrick came from behind to secure the vital win.
They had a remarkable spell just before half-time, scoring three goals in eight minutes, which dramatically shifted the momentum of the match.
“When you find yourself in a good position, it’s essential to manage the game effectively. That spell before half-time was devastating for us, and we showed excellent control in the final half-hour,” he remarked.
“We restricted Cliftonville to very few chances, which is crucial at a venue like this. In recent weeks, we’ve conceded late goals that cost us points, so we certainly deserved this win. It’s something we’ve been striving for, but we must maintain our focus on consistency.”
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Gibson noted that while he was thrilled to score a hat-trick, securing the three points was “more important” and provides a significant confidence boost for Carrick ahead of their upcoming encounter with Cliftonville in the County Antrim Shield final on Tuesday night.
“If you had told me I would score a hat-trick or secure the three points, I would still choose the three points,” he stated.
“I’m just ecstatic that we got all three, and we’ll return home very satisfied and confident for Tuesday night.”