IRISH CUP: Andy Waterworth relishing quarter-final showdown with Cliftonville after seeing off Armagh City

Striker Andy Waterworth delivered a knockout blow to little Armagh City at the weekend '“ and hopes to repeat the dose when Linfield travel to Cliftonville for a mouth-watering Tennent's Irish Cup quarter-final clash next month.
Andy Waterworth celebrates one of his four goalsAndy Waterworth celebrates one of his four goals
Andy Waterworth celebrates one of his four goals

The 30-year-old bagged a staggering four goals against the Championship One side.

He was joined on the scoresheet by Aaron Burns, who pocketed a double, before new on-loan signing from Swansea City, Stephen Fallon, hit his first for the club.

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Waterworth, however, knows it boys will not have it quite so handy on March 5 at a bouncing Solitude.

“It’s a game we will relish – it’s undoubtedly the tie of the round,” he said. “As a player, these are the type of games you want to be involved in.

“If you have any serious aspirations of winning the Irish Cup you have to beat whatever team is in front of you.

“We have a difficult run of fixtures up ahead, but in all honesty, I just focus on the game in front of us and that’s Portadown next week.

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“The cup tie will look after itself when it comes around. The draw hasn’t been kind, but it’s about time we broke our duck because we haven’ won there for some time.

“Every game is a massive test at Linfield – if you are not with us, you are against us. That’s the way it is. So we prepare for every game like it is a cup final.”

Although Waterworth grabbed all the headlines with his four goal salvo – taking his tally to 28 for the season – he preferred to heap the praise on the guys who provided the chances.

“As a striker you are forever thankful for the excellent service provided by the likes of Kirk Millar,” he said.

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“Wingers are a dying breed these days. I just thrive on the balls he puts into the box. I know exactly where he’s going to put the ball.

“We also have Aaron Burns and Matthew Clarke, who can put the ball on a sixpence.

“Kirk was really unplayable – he was magic. I keep telling him, if he is playing well, we will play well. He is one of the players who can dictate the game for us.

“As a striker, he is a joy to play with. It was nice to get four goals, but it was important to get the job done. We were probably on a hiding to nothing.”

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Armagh City boss Marty Rice admitted his boys had just no answer to their Premiership opponents.

“The gulf in class was there for everyone to see,” he said. “Linfield were well above our standard. They were physically strong, a lot fitter and more powerful than we were.

“Our aim was to try to keep them out for the first 20 minutes or so, but that soon went out of the window early on.”