Points over performances now for Linfield’s David Healy

David Healy is calling on his players to draw on past experiences towards future goals from a season like no other.
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The Linfield boss was full of praise for his squad’s ability to pick up full points from Shamrock Park on Saturday on an eighth high-stakes league test within March.

Jordan Stewart’s early goal proved decisive on an evening in which strong winds restricted the flowing football but one that left Healy happy to highlight grit over grace.

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“At this point of the season it comes down to experience, guts and ability to win games,” said Healy. “So you draw on the knowledge and knowhow of the players having been in and around the environment now.

Linfield boss David Healy watching from the sidelines on Saturday evening. Pic by Pacemaker.Linfield boss David Healy watching from the sidelines on Saturday evening. Pic by Pacemaker.
Linfield boss David Healy watching from the sidelines on Saturday evening. Pic by Pacemaker.

“We’ve 10 games now, five before the split and five after...so you are hoping the players can go on a decent run now to be in a strong position for after the split.

“We had to work our socks off today to get the three points from a really hard game.

“I thought we were in control of the first half and maybe the wind helped us get a strong foothold in the game.

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“But we had a second goal chalked off for whatever reason the officials are saying...but I’ve been told you could clearly see on TV the ball wasn’t out, so that was frustrating.

“We knew then Portadown would throw the kitchen sink at us and they did in the second half.

“But credit to the goalkeeper and the back four for being big and strong and we ended up coming away with the win.

“I would have taken any result today to win the match but a clean sheet always helps and we could have been going in 2-0 up at half-time, which would have helped to ease the tension a bit.

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“We are getting to the stage now when performances don’t really matter.

“I know what the players can deliver but, like the same for basically all the managerial staff at the minute, you are patching up sides to go out and play.

“That’s our eighth game this month so I think the players deserve immense credit for the effort.”

The defending champions took full advantage of Coleraine’s afternoon defeat to secure success and stretch the gap at the head of the Premiership table to 10 points.

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However, Healy is anticipating the final run-in to feature a string of surprise scorelines.

“Results from earlier in the day mean absolutely nothing as it’s always about what we do...anything else becomes ineffective if we don’t go out, perform and win,” said Healy. “I would imagine there will be lots of points dropped by all the teams going over the next run, with Irish Cup dates and post-split fixtures all in the mix.

“It’s a hectic schedule for part-time players.

“We did say we want to play as many fixtures as possible but it is tough on the players.

“People will look on a result and think of it as a shock but when you put it into context then I don’t think any result should be seen as a shock.”

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