David Healy on Irish Cup defeat to Cliftonville: 'I'll keep runners-up medal in my car beside me and it'll remind me that we finished second and we need to do better'

After falling short in a bid to reclaim the Gibson Cup, the Blues would also suffer Irish Cup heartache as they were beaten by Cliftonville at a packed Windsor Park.

Healy’s men held the half-time lead in as Ethan McGee's early header had Linfield in control but Cliftonville were vastly improved after the break and equalised when Sam Ashford headed in a goal of his own.

The game would then enter extra-time where Ronan Hale took centre stage as his tremendous strike put Jim Magilton's side ahead, before the same player rolled the ball into an empty net to get the party started after Linfield stopper Chris Johns went up for a corner.

After also losing out on the Gibson Cup to Larne, a devastated Healy says his team have been punished for mistakes on too many occasions this season.

"My thoughts are when you lose a Cup final, first and foremost there is disappointment, which it is," he said.

"I thought we were well in the game, started on the front foot but the longer the game went on, the stronger Cliftonville got and they took over parts of the game.

"It got to the stage where it swayed back and it was probably 50/50 and it looked as if whoever was going to get the next golden opportunity would win it.

"Credit to Jim (Magilton) and his players. It's been 45 years in waiting.

"Those who were here and saw me do the press conference with Jim, know I have the utmost respect for Jim; the player, the person and now the manager. In the end, we got done with a couple of mistakes and I think that's the most disappointing thing in the changing room.

"We've been done quite a few times this year with immature mistakes and we got done with immature mistakes for the second goal.

"That's why I said to the players in there - and things can be said in the heat of the moment - but you try and give the information to the players that's going to be important moving forward.

"I said that today summed up why we didn't win the league championship this year because we made mistakes at crucial moments and got punished."

Linfield will be involved in European action in early-July and Healy says the bit will be in his teeth once his team returns for pre-season training to lift more silverware.

He said how looking at his runners-up medal from the Irish Cup final defeat to Glenavon in 2016 got him motivated to go from “losers on the day” to winning trophies and it will be the exact same this time around.

"As disappointed as I am here now, my instinct straight away is on to the next one,” he remarked.

"We get a break now but we get back into pre-season for the European qualification in early July, meaning we will back in for training around mid-June which was always going to be the case, regardless if we won or lost today.

"For me and I reminded the players when I lost against Glenavon in my first final, the runners-up medal we got, I basically left it in the car where I could see it on a daily basis or every other day I was going to Windsor to remind me that I was second best and a loser on the day.

"I said to the players that people get motivated by different things, people get fired up by different ideas, but for me I'll do the same with this one, I'll keep it in my car beside me and it'll remind me that we finished second and we need to do better.

"That will be my motivation at the start of pre-season - to be better, make sure your squad is better, hopefully the playing staff is better and the outcome come the end of the season will be better."