Cliftonville fans now have a hero in Ben Wilson, says manager Jim Magilton as Reds thrash Coleraine at Solitude

A hat-trick from Joe Gormley and a brace from Ben Wilson did the damage at Solitude as the Bannsiders were simply blown away under the lights in north Belfast.

The victory moved Magilton's men up to third in the Sports Direct Premiership standings and he beamed with delight following the full-time whistle.

He said: "In terms of our quality, in the first half we got into really good areas and we were poor with our final ball, our decision making, our passing but the players understood that.

"In the second half they were fabulous in their choice of pass, their quality was outstanding.

"Again, when you get into those areas, you have to go cold and really ice cool and we did that.

"We scored some wonderful goals tonight.

"I knew Coleraine would come and really present themselves as they did against Glentoran.

"But you just had a feeling in our dressing room that the boys were determined to really kick on.

"We haven't been at home for years so it was important that we put on a real show tonight."

Whilst downplaying the hype around ex-Brighton trainee Wilson, Reds chief Magilton spoke of his admiration for Gormley who continues to find the back of the net.

"I've always watched Joe from afar and thought he was a fantastic player," he added.

"Working with him now is wonderful for me because I just know his quality, even in training his finishing is magnificent.

"His goals tonight sum him up and from his first moments you felt Joe was bang at it tonight and he certainly was.

"I've known Ben a lifetime and I knew he'd score goals and he hasn't disappointed.

"So the less we say about Ben the better!

"That was one of the reasons we got him because he is hungry and he's ambitious and we've given him a platform to go and play and he loves it, he absolutely loves it.

"The fans love him, they've got a hero in Ben now, and that's wonderful because both of them tonight sharing five goals is a fantastic achievement.

"We need to wrap him up in cotton wool."