David Healy frustration at 'chalk and cheese' Linfield and offers injury update after Glentoran defeat
Linfield manager David Healy says his side “were nowhere near the intensity” required during their 1-0 Premiership defeat to rivals Glentoran and was left frustrated with a lack of composure displayed at The Oval.
The Blues still maintain an eight-point advantage at the summit ahead of Saturday’s fixtures – both Cliftonville and Ballymena United could close the gap – but fell to their second league defeat of the season against the Glens on Friday night with Marcus Kane’s first half strike enough to secure three points for Declan Devine’s side, who were reduced to 10-men in the 59th minute when James Douglas was shown a second yellow card.
Healy’s men couldn’t find a breakthrough and their three-game Premiership winning run came to an end just six days after an impressive performance in a 1-0 win over Larne at Inver Park.
"First half we were nowhere near the intensity where we should have been six days on from our most manful performance and we didn't get it tonight,” he told the club’s media channel. “We certainly didn't get it in the first half and I said to the coaching staff coming up to half-time 'we need to get in here at 0-0' to reassess and be better in the second half.
"For the level of where we are and the players we have on the pitch, to concede a goal in that manner is frustrating and should never happen.
"You find yourself chasing the game and the red card puts us on the front foot. We picked the wrong finish, lacked composure and when you lose a game of this magnitude...maybe it was down to the second yellow we found ourselves on the front foot.
"The frustrating thing for myself and for all of us is we played the same 11 as we did last week and it was basically chalk and cheese in performance."
Healy was without a number of key players in East Belfast and when asked for an injury update, he added: "Ben Hall is making progress, Stevie Fallon is making progress and so is Robbie McDaid.
"Kyle McClean is probably another three or four weeks, Charlie Allen is short to mid-term and being assessed.
"It's no disrespect to what we have on the pitch tonight and not all those players can play in the same team because some of the others have done well, but it's about getting that mix and what we maybe lack on the bench to come on for that know-how that we lacked tonight."