Linfield boss David Healy: We need players now accepting of the challenge of the last 10 games and to grasp the opportunity

Stephen Fallon marked his first start since September by scoring after just two minutes, rounding Gareth Deane following Kyle McClean’s superb through ball, but that lead was cancelled out when James Doona pounced on a defensive error to calmly slide under Chris Johns for a maiden Lurgan Blues league goal.

Linfield looked to have found a crucial winner when substitute Darragh McBrien headed home in the 88th minute from Kirk Millar’s pinpoint cross, but there would be late drama as Prendergast tapped home in the dying seconds after Peter Campbell’s shot had rebounded off the post.

The disappointment is furthered as Euan East had to be replaced at half-time while goalscorer Fallon limped off in the 70th minute.

Despite the setback, Healy says Linfield’s ambition of wanting to win every game remains the same and called on his players to seize the chance of winning the club’s 57th league crown.

"He came off there and will be assessed,” Healy said on Fallon’s potential injury. “Stevie Fallon is a big player for us...I'm hoping he's ok. We were in the process of making the change.

"I've said to the players that we're all judged on a match day...this is when our big travelling support judge and see you. We need players now accepting of the challenge of the last 10 games that we have left to go and grasp the opportunity and see where that takes us come the end of April.

"We're a point behind and we need to regather and refocus, but the methodology doesn't change...we still want to win every game."

Having managed to regain their lead, Healy’s biggest frustration was that the Blues couldn’t hold on with the two dropped points potentially significant in the race for Gibson Cup glory.

After Cliftonville defeated Coleraine 4-1 at Solitude, only three points now separates new table-toppers Larne and the third-placed Reds with Linfield sandwiched in between.

"The disappointing thing is when we find ourselves scoring in the 88th minute that we didn't manage the game or see out the remainder of it,” he added. “We got punished for a lack of concentration and switching off at the death.

"Glenavon were fighting all day for their club as expected and there's a bit of fortune with it coming off the inside of the post...on another day it could bounce wide, but we didn't do enough in the build up.

"There's one or two points where you hope we would nick the ball but we didn't and it cost us dearly today.

"Games are won, lost or drawn in both boxes. We got a wonderful goal towards the end with a great ball in and wing-back to wing-back got us in front...then we shot ourselves in the foot by not managing the rest of the game."