MANAGER'S VERDICT: David Healy feels Linfield 'shaded the game and found a way not to win' after suffering first Premiership defeat of the season to reigning champions Larne
Linfield suffered their first Premiership defeat of the season after losing out 1-0 to reigning champions Larne at Windsor Park on Saturday. Here’s what manager David Healy had to say following the game:
On the match
"When you’re on top of the game you have to capitalise and we didn’t...balls coming in, couple of ricochets, someone being more alive in the box because there were opportunities for us to take the lead and I feel if we take the lead today we win the game.
"It’s frustrating, disappointing – the goal we concede is really sloppy, indecisive giving the ball away in the box, indecisive because we think the ball is going out so we stop and we get done with a really poor goal.”
On if it’s frustrating that after having so much possession Linfield couldn’t create clear opportunities
"That’s down to our attack-minded players that they need to go and create better chances. We didn’t go and create the real chance to take the lead.
"We had enough opportunities and had enough possession in the final-third and that’s where it’s key for your so-called better players to open the game up and we didn’t do that today. At worst for us it should have finished 0-0.”
On if today felt like a bigger game with Larne being champions and playing catch up
"Honestly, no I don’t think so. For me, no because it’s so early into the season and it’s just another game. If this had have been 20 games in and everything evens itself out in the league campaign and you know where you are, but today was about us capitalising on where we are and we didn’t do that.
"There was no difference going into the game in terms of how we spoke or before or during the game...I was as intense today as we’ll be at Cliftonville on Tuesday and against Carrick next Saturday because six, seven or eight games in you don’t win titles – you jockey for getting in and around the top. It’s disappointing we didn’t go and extend the points difference over Larne so early in the season.”
On winning league titles in the past by being great at winning 1-0 and if Larne have that trait now
"There were spells today where we had that and were on top of the game, but it’s important we score and frustratingly last year there were games where we were on top and you have to score.
"You get that with self-belief, confidence and having a persona, which Linfield had for years and years – we had it when we came in where the game was never done and even if it was 1-0 in the 83rd minute you felt if we got one we’ll get two.
"Man United had it, Liverpool, Celtic, Rangers – all the top teams keep going and going and when you’re on that you’re riding the crest of a wave. Sometimes it can last a year, sometimes two years and I don’t think there was too much in the game today. I felt we shaded the game and found a way not to win.”