'He is an incredible human being': Linfield boss David Healy thrilled to see the return of Robbie McDaid as Blues claim narrow win over Glenavon

It was Chris McKee, who grabbed the only goal of a game that will not live long in the memory of the fans who decided to suffer the winter chill.

Ironically, McKee was a replacement for the suspended Joel Cooper, who grabbed the headlines last week when it emerged he had agreed a pre-contract deal to join Coleraine in the summer.

It was no coincidence, the best move of the game heralded the priceless winner, that helped Healy's men extend their lead in the Sports Direct Premiership table.

Chris Shields, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Ethan McGee combined on the left and, when the former Dungannon Swifts man whipped in a wonderful delivery, McKee supplied the finishing touch with the flick of his head.

But the biggest cheer of the day was reserved for McDaid, who replaced McKee for the last 13 minutes.

“I was really pleased for Robbie,” beamed former Northern Ireland international striker Healy. “For anyone who doesn’t know Robbie, he is an incredible human being.

“The disappointments and the suffering he has endured over the past couple of years have been astronomical.

“I’m so pleased he’s back. He was probably brought on a little bit sooner than I would have liked, but he was really pleased to get the first one (game) out of the way.

“I was delighted the fans gave him a great ovation, they probably realised the pain Robbie had to go through, so it was great to have him involved again.”

Healy wasn’t over enthusiastic about his team’s display at Windsor Park.

He went on: “We had to grind it out. “The key element was we maximised the points of the last seven days against Coleraine, Dungannon Swifts and now Glenavon.

“Yes, I was disappointed with our performance from minute one to 90, even early goal even failed to spark us to life. Everyone wants entertainment, but more importantly they want results, so there is a fine balance.

“The bottom line is, the performance levels were nowhere near the levels where they should have been.

“We were sloppy in possession and gave up too many opportunities, albeit, our goalkeeper David Walsh hadn’t to make any significant saves.

“Credit to Glenavon. Paddy (McLaughlin) has taken over recently but you can already see his stamp on the team. They will climb the table, no question.

“Although it wasn’t a great display, our boys put their bodies on the line and they found a way to win the game.”

Glenavon boss Paddy McLaughlin believes his team’s performance, especially in the second half, warranted something tangible from the game.

“Linfield were the better side in the first 15 or 20 minutes, they were getting in behind us and causing problems,” said the former Reds boss. “You can go one or two ways...you can go under and take a bad beating or you roll up your sleeves and see it out.

“Fair play to the boys, they dug it out to half-time. We sorted out a few things during the break and we were the dominant side in the second half. We kept the ball brilliantly, but we just liked a little bit of a killer instinct with our final pass.

“Our boys were excellent -- they should be proud of how they played. But we are not coming away from Windsor celebrating a good performance, we are coming away disappointed with the defeat.

“It’s now important we maintain those high standards going forward.”