David Healy celebrates eight-year anniversary as Linfield manager with victory over Carrick Rangers

Northern Ireland’s record goalscorer was confirmed as the new manager at Windsor Park on October 14, 2015 and Friday evening’s win at the Loughview Leisure Arena, which was secured following a Kurtis Forsythe own goal and Kyle McClean’s second-half strike, marked his 417th match in all competitions.

According to the club’s website, the 44-year-old has won 263 of those 417 games – giving him an impressive winning ratio of 63% – and drawn 65 times while scoring 863 goals in the process.

During that run, Healy has guided Linfield to five Premiership titles and his side remain in an early pole position to reclaim the Gibson Cup crown they lost to Larne last season after a fifth consecutive league triumph.

They had to deal with a nervy ending as Carrick substitute Emmett McGuckin powered home an 81st minute header to give Stuart King’s men a late lifeline.

"We knew the challenges with the experienced players they have on the pitch and we drew against them earlier in the season,” Healy told Linfield TV. “I asked the players to try and find a way because it was never going to be pretty.

"There was a spell of 10 or 15 minutes in the first-half with the wind and rain and you're pleased that disappears quite quickly.

"It wasn't about a performance tonight but finding a way to win and credit to the players for finding a way at a tough venue.

"We've been in decent form and you want to back it up after the high of beating Glentoran.

"Teams are going to come here and struggle like we did tonight, so it's great to go back down the road with three points and we'll move on.

"Everyone seems to have came out of the game okay and we can move on to Cliftonville next week."

Healy was also delighted with the character his side showed in the final 10 minutes to see the game out and secure three points.

"We had to show a bit of character and we told the players coming into the game it would be that way,” he added. “It was disappointing to give up a poor goal - we're so deep when we didn't need to be.

"It's important when they bring someone like McGuckin on that we don't give them room to be free in the box.

"What we can take out of this is that we showed character to see the game out."

Defeat brought Carrick’s four-game unbeaten run in all competitions to an end but King was full of praise for the performance his squad produced against the league leaders.

"I’m gutted,” he told the club’s media channel. “I thought we were excellent.

"I thought we were outstanding in the first-half and really put it up to them.

"I don’t want to talk about referee’s, but we had a stonewall penalty and he didn’t give it and to be fair to Linfield, they had a penalty shout in the second-half.

"If we get a penalty and put it away it’s 1-0 at home and it gives us something to fight for in the second-half.

"We’ve really put it up to the biggest club in the country and I’m gutted we haven’t got anything from the game.”