Baxter asked Gibson 'to make himself a hero' in Reds win

Carrick Rangers manager Stephen Baxter said he asked Danny Gibson for a "big performance" and the striker duly delivered with a hat-trick in a 4-1 win against Cliftonville.

Gibson struck twice in the first half and completed his treble in the second period, with Paul Heatley also on target to help Carrick to a first league win since 31 October.

And Baxter was delighted that Gibson was able to end his recent goal drought after requesting the forward to "make himself the hero" at Solitude.

"He's had a tough month or two where he hasn't scored as many as he would like, so it was about believing in himself, shaking it off, and just going out and playing the way he can. He did all of that," Baxter told BBC Sport NI.

"I thought he and Paul Heatley were a real handful and put the backline under pressure from start to finish.

"He'll get the headlines, of course, but there were strong performances all over the pitch. It takes a team to get the job done, and that's what will matter most to me."

Baxter was pleased that Carrick fought back from a goal down to secure a valuable win.

They had a clinical spell before half-time where they scored three times in eight minutes to turn the game on its head.

"When you get yourself into a good position, you have to be able to control the game. I thought that spell before half-time was devastating for us and, from there, the control we showed, especially in the last half-hour, was excellent," he added.

"We limited Cliftonville to very few chances, which is important at a place like this. Over the last six or eight weeks, we've conceded late goals that have cost us wins or points, so I think we've deserved this. It's something we've been working towards, but we have to keep focusing on consistency."

Gibson said that while he was of course happy to score a hat-trick, getting the three points was "more important" and a real confidence boost for Carrick before they face Cliftonville again on Tuesday night in the County Antrim Shield final.

"If you had told me I was going to score a hat-trick or get the three points, I would still have picked the three points," he said.

"I'm just delighted we've picked up all three, and we'll be heading home very happy and confident heading into Tuesday night."