'We always find a way' - Ross Oliver praises Linfield character after returning to Premiership summit ahead of Cliftonville test
Linfield assistant manager Ross Oliver praised the Blues’ character after bouncing back from defeat to bitter rivals Glentoran by returning to the Premiership’s summit and wants to see more of the same against Cliftonville this afternoon.
David Healy’s side suffered their second league loss of the season at Windsor Park earlier this month when the Glens scored three times in the second half to secure a comeback victory, but the South Belfast outfit have since sealed back-to-back wins over Crusaders and Loughgall to leapfrog Ballymena United into top spot while still holding a game in hand.
"Character is a massive thing at a club like ours and our changing room is full of characters,” said Oliver, who has been directing from the touchline after Healy’s red card at Seaview. “One thing we've done over the years is make sure that when we have poor results or go through a poor spell that we're able to bounce back.
"You have to be prepared for that and it's a credit to the players and staff who work tirelessly to make sure we can bounce back from that. Sometimes it can be difficult but we always find a way."
While still in the early stages of the Premiership season, the next month could be crucial for Linfield as they look to extend their advantage at the top with home fixtures against Cliftonville and Ballymena followed by trips to defending champions Larne and Glentoran before the end of November.
Healy’s men have a superb recent home league record against Saturday’s visitors – they’ve not lost any of their last 11 versus the North Belfast outfit at Windsor Park, a run spanning back to 2018 – but did lose out in the Irish Cup final last term.
"It doesn't really matter what time of the season you get that momentum, you have to try and grasp it and keep winning games,” added Oliver. “I'm sure everyone knows it's a competitive league this year with any team capable of beating each other on any given day so we'll make sure we go in prepared.
"They're all big games for us, it doesn't matter who we play. Every team that plays us, whether they want to admit it or not, raises their game against us and we have to be ready for that. It's one game at a time."
Former Leeds United youngster Charlie Allen scored his first Premiership goal since returning to Linfield in their most recent triumph over Loughgall having also netted for Northern Ireland U21s earlier this month in a 5-0 win against Azerbaijan.
The 20-year-old, who was the club’s youngest-ever player before Braiden Graham broke the record in 2023, is starting to show signs of his undoubted quality and Oliver believes he has the ability to shine against any team.
"Charlie coming back from England, it's going to take a bit of time for him to find his feet but the boys see him in training every day and they see what he's capable of,” he said. “If you can get Charlie the ball in the right areas he can hurt anyone."