Linfield manager David Healy gutted as silverware drought continues

The Blues haven’t paraded silverware since they lifted the Shield following a penalty shoot-out against Crusaders two years ago.

Glenn Ferguson’s Sky Blues piled on the agony, with goals from Paddy McNally, David Cushley and Eoin Kane helping United to their second Shield success over the Blues in four years.

Healy just couldn’t hide his disappointment as he went up to receive his losers medal at the finish.

Even though the Blues won a crucial Irish Cup tie at the weekend . . . and face United again an an equally important league showdown on January 23, the former Northern Ireland striker insists the chance was missed to end a two year trophy famine.

“We want to win every trophy and every game,” he said. “The Shield final was important because it would have put down a marker for this club.

“But I said it a few weeks ago, when you play a team three or four times inside a matter of weeks, the law of averages would say you’ll not win them all.

“That’s the way football is. Ballymena worked hard and were a credit to their manager - they showed a lot of character.”

The Blues got back in the game late on, the Sky Blues managed to hold on.

Healy added: “We got back into it early in the second half with the equaliser, but we conceded a soft second goal soon after that. That was disappointing. But that’s what Cushley does . . . he shoots on sight, but it was deflected into the net.”

And, the third one was also self-inflicted. It was poor defending.

“We then hit the crossbar and hit the post in the last minute . . . and when that happens you know it’s not going to be your night. Kirk (Millar) couldn’t have hit his shot any better, but it strikers the underside of the bar.

“We threw the kitchen sink at it over the last 15 minutes, but we just couldn’t get an equaliser. Fair to Ballymena. We got the better of them over the past two outings, but they came here and had the character to turn it around.”