Crusaders boss Stephen Baxter confident Irish League managers could make an impact across the water

Linfield chief David Healy, who was due to be in the opposite dugout to Baxter on Saturday before their clash was postponed due to international call-ups, has been linked with the vacant position at League Two outfit Grimsby Town in recent weeks while three current Premiership bosses have held jobs at clubs in England or Scotland.

Jim Magilton spent almost three years with Ipswich Town after retiring from a successful playing career before taking over at Queens Park Rangers while Warren Feeney, now back in the Irish League with Glentoran, was appointed manager of League Two side Newport County in January 2016.

The most recent example of the switch is Coleraine’s Oran Kearney departing for Scottish Premiership outfit St Mirren in 2018, spending a season in Paisley before resuming control of the Bannsiders.

Baxter, who is world’s football current longest-serving manager after overseeing more than 900 matches across 18 years at Seaview, has no doubt that Healy or any other boss in the top-flight has what it takes to succeed at a higher level.

"All our Irish League managers are worthy enough to go into any job,” he said. “Football management is all about being organised, being thought through, you have to have that little bit of nous, know-how, contacts and all those sorts of things.

"They can all do it.

"Oran Kearney had a go at it, Jim Magilton has managed at a very high level, Warren Feeney has done it.

"All these guys have been around and done it so there's no reason why any of us can't do it."

Baxter’s side are coming off a 2-1 weekend win against Loughgall and the 58-year-old was full of praise for the performance produced by former Burton Albion star Robbie Weir, who slid into defence alongside Daniel Larmour and Josh Robinson.

"He can play that position and has done in a few games over the last three or four years, but he’s that good of a footballer that he can play anywhere with the level he has played at,” he added. "He’s a very tactically aware footballer, can organise and that’s what we needed.