Baxter 'one of the best managers we've ever had' - Beckett

When Stephen Baxter took charge of Crusaders against Cliftonville for the first time in April 2005, nobody would have predicted then that almost two decades of derby days lay ahead.

Not least the man in the opposing dug-out.

Cliftonville's win that afternoon, a 1-0 victory secured by Peter Telford's 36th minute header, came only two months after Baxter had succeeded Alan Dornan on the Shore Road. Less than a fortnight later, his side would be relegated to the second tier.

Imagine suggesting then that the managerial rookie would still be there 19 years, not to mention three Irish League titles, later.

Now the longest serving manger in world football, Baxter will face the Reds one last time on Tuesday night before stepping away at the end of this season, his longevity with Crusaders causing the man who led Cliftonville in that '05 derby to call him one of the three best managers the Irish League has ever had.

"I remember speaking to Stephen after that game and telling him to keep the head up," said Liam Beckett, then in his sole season in charge at Solitude.

"Stephen said to me, and I'll never forget it, he said to me 'that result today might have put us down'.

"A big part of my heart is at Seaview, obviously, because I played there and was a part of a team that won their first league title.

"That day, I felt terrible. My job was to win the match for Cliftonville but my heart was aching. I remember thinking, 'God help you Stephen', but 19 years later he's still here and still producing the goods."

In the weeks ahead, plenty will be said about Baxter's successes at Seaview, chief among them three Irish League titles, four Irish Cups, one Setanta Sports Cup, one League Cup and three County Antrim Shields.

Fewer column inches will be devoted to those earliest days when Beckett could not foresee him lasting long beyond that initial relegation.

"The fact is that Stephen inherited a poor team," he said.

"Along with that he inherited a club on the verge of going out of business. They were on their knees financially. The feeling was that that was them, that it was over.

"To inherit that side, a club with a mountain of debt and get relegated, to do what he has done in the following 19 years is phenomenal.

"That was his first role. But he had the good sports business going and it would have been quite easy for him to say, 'I don't need this'.

"I remember thinking, 'how long will he stick it?' And I honestly thought it wouldn't be very long before he threw the head up and said 'that's enough for me' but he's an honest fella."

Against the backdrop of how it started, Beckett views what Baxter has done with Crusaders as among the very best managerial jobs in the history of Irish League football.

"Roy Coyle and what he achieved, that was at Glentoran, that was at Linfield - big clubs, big support, a decent budget," he said. "David Jeffrey, likewise.

"You measure that against what Stephen Baxter has achieved, going to dare I say a smaller club with a fraction of the fans, it just puts it into context.

"I always do say, in fairness to Coyler and DJ, managing those clubs isn't easy either, because the expectation levels are much higher.

"But when you look at the big picture, what he achieved at a club the size of Crusaders with the budget at his disposal, I would consider Stephen Baxter right up there along with Roy Coyle and David Jeffrey as people who will go down in Irish League history as one of the three best managers we've ever had."

Beckett won't be present at Seaview on Tuesday evening, instead on assignment for BBC Sport NI at the Oval where Glentoran welcome Larne as the Irish League title race nears its thrilling conclusion.

With three games remaining, champions Larne lead Linfield by a point at the top of table with the pair to meet at Windsor Park on Monday night.

Tonight's game in east Belfast will feature on a special 'Visualised Sportsound' with live commentary and live in-play goal clips from around all six grounds on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website.

"I am loving it," said Beckett.

"The last thing you need is one team running away with the league and for a long time this year we had three genuine contenders, including Cliftonville. At one stage I even thought it might be Crusaders' year.

"As I'll say in my commentary tonight, now there are two, two clubs fighting tooth and nail. One minute I think Larne, one minute Linfield.

"When I won the first league title with Crusaders, the next year you had a target on your back, everybody was out to beat you.

"We struggled with that and I thought from experience that Larne would do likewise but Tiernan Lynch has assembled a superb side. Then, you can never discount Linfield.

"I think it will come down to that game when they meet each other. It's been a fabulous championship and it'll go right to the wire."