Cliftonville boss Paddy McLaughlin has revealed the sacrifices his players have made to prepare for Europe.
The Reds booked their place in the next round of the Europa League qualifiers with a 4-0 win over Barry Town United on Thursday night .
McLaughlin believes the two-legged success is reward for the hard work and commitment his players have put in since the end of last season.
Cliftonville played their final game of the 2018/19 campaign on May 11 when they beat Glentoran in the Europa League playoffs.
McLaughlin says his players didn't have much time to reflect on the successful end to the year, as they were called back to pre-season training just two weeks later.
"Our players came in after just two weeks off. They cut their holidays short and everything," he said.
"Sometimes when the season is over, you don't see players again for six or seven weeks.
"So for our players to come in after just two weeks tells you everything you need to know about them."
McLaughlin was appointed Cliftonville manager back in February to succeed Barry Gray.
It wasn't long before the former Institute boss introduced an extra night's training.
And it appears the determined manager's dedication to the job has extended into the summer and pre-season.
"Nothing comes easy in life. You have to work hard," he said.
"But nobody will ever doubt my players. They train their socks off. They have missed weddings and birthday parties and everything else for the cause. The cause is to get this club back on its feet, and we are working towards that.
"There is a long way to go, but we are determined to work hard.
"When you put the suggestion to the players that they are just getting two weeks off, and they totally agree straight away. That tells you all you need to know.
"They deserve all the plaudits, but we will be back to work on Saturday."
Next up for Cliftonville in the Europa League is a first qualifying round tie against Norwegian side Haugesund, with the first leg next Thursday at Solitude.
"We don't want to settle for progressing through one round. We want to compete against Haugesund and try and progress further," he added.
"If we don't win, at least we have given it our best shot."
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