IRISH LEAGUE: David Healy looking to keep Blues on winning run against Swifts

The Blues are on a high after wins against Coleraine and Glenavon and Healy says this could be a very interesting campaign with Coleraine, Crusaders, Glenavon, Cliftonville and the Blues all in the running to win the league title.

“I think for the press, the sponsors and it is what you want. What you don’t want is one of the teams running away with it.

“It is competitive and I cannot remember the last time we put on a performance like the one against Glenavon and we have to take huge positives out of that.

“It is a tough league. Crusaders have been there and done it.

“Cliftonville previously have been there, seen it and done it and Coleraine and Glenavon have been there or there abouts in the Cup competitions but the league is a different thing all together.

“But they have good managers in Oran Kearney and Gary Hamilton, who the best for their players and hopefully come the end of the season it will be an entertaining finish.”

But Healy admits the Blues will not be taking tomorrow’s opponents lightly as the Swifts are a hard team to play against.

“Yes we are expected to win but you only win if you turn up and do your jobs.

“I watched Dungannon recently and they have got players who can hurt you and they are coming to Windsor Park on the back of some negative results but we always find it difficult against Dungannon - especial at Windsor Park for some reason.

“We will not be taking them lightly and we will be giving them our full respect because they are in the top flight.

“But if we turn up and perform it is a game that we can win, added the Linfield manager.

And Swifts manager Rodney McAree knows that coming to the National Stadium will not be an easy afternoon for his players.

“Very, very hard place to go. We have been on the end of the odd beating when we have gone down there.

“But we went there last season and drew 1-1 in the league, which was a big result for us. It was among our best results there and we have never managed to win down at Windsor.

“So that is something we would like to put right and it could be this Saturday but it is going to take a huge effort from the lads.”

And McAree admits he will be missing a few key players for the clash against the defending league champions.

“We will not have Chris Hegarty, Andy Coleman and Paul McElroy out and they are a loss.

“But last weekend we had four out and the weekend before that we were missing five, so thankfully one by one they are coming back.

“These things happen and during a season you pick-up injuries but this is the worse spell we are going through.”

And McAree says last weekend’s convincing win against Carrick will lift his side before tomorrow’s clash.

“We played well and we had a clean sheet. We did very well in the first 30 minutes and the game was dead and buried after that.

“I was delighted and we did very well and we were well worthy of the three points. Hopefully we can get something from Windsor.”