Linfield captain Jamie Mulgrew embracing the pressure of winning yet more silverware after signing contract extension

Mulgrew’s latest deal means he will go beyond the 20-year mark at Linfield having arrived from Glentoran in 2005 and the 37-year-old is gunning for an 11th Premiership crown this season with David Healy’s side currently sitting one point ahead of defending champions Larne.

The Blues are also set to face Portadown in the BetMcLean Cup final in March while Mulgrew is hoping to take one step closer to his eighth Irish Cup triumph when Linfield host Ballymena United in the sixth round on Saturday.

"It's something we've all got to embrace and enjoy that we're involved in the business end and we're still in with a shout of winning trophies,” he told LinfieldTV. “That's what we're all here at Linfield to do and what we're paid to do really.

"When you're at the biggest club you're expected to win matches and trophies. It's something we should all be embracing and excited about to meet the challenge head on.

"We've a really good squad and done fantastically well so far and it is only so far. We won't get carried away with ourselves and with Saturday's result (2-1 league defeat to Dungannon Swifts) anybody can beat anybody if you're not performing to a high standard."

The Northern Ireland international, who was named both NIFWA Player of the Year and Ulster Footballer of the Year in 2017, has enjoyed huge success under both David Jeffrey and Healy.

“There's a lot of great memories - more good than bad,” he added. “In the early days being involved in such a successful time the club had under David (Jeffrey) was just phenomenal.

"The first double I was involved in was fantastic because it was brilliant to taste that success at such a young age. Then we continued that on for such a long stretch.

"Then we did a double under the current manager which was special again because we were on a barren spell of not winning anything for a period of time and to taste that success again was extra special because you do get to a stage of thinking 'is it ever going to happen again?'. Thankfully it has.

"The European run with the Qarabag game here which was an unbelievable occasion for the club and everybody. We had the disappointment of a couple of years ago (losing on penalties to RFS in the final stage of qualifying) but to experience that, yes it was gut-wrenching and probably lowest of the low, but for us to get to that stage was a fantastic experience.

"When we were able to win the Irish Cup against Larne at Mourneview with Covid going on that was extra special.

"There have been so many fantastic memories and I've played with so many fantastic players and people. Football is all about making memories and I'm thankful that I've been able to create and cherish so many so far."