Cliftonville vs Linfield 04/05/24

Linfield midfielder Kyle McClean has a bittersweet relationship with the Clearer Water Irish Cup.

changing room and a great place to play football.” The midfielder also revealed he would swap his Player of the Year gong for a trophy won by the team. He said: “Individual accolades are always great and I'm immensely proud to win it (Player of the Year) - not many people do, so I'm proud of it. “To win those awards is brilliant… but the main thing is to be successful here and I'd certainly swap it to win any trophy with the team." With experienced warriors Jamie Mulgrew and Chris Shields alongside him in the midfield engine room, McClean has enjoyed the licence to get forward this season, scoring vital goals, including two in the Irish Cup semi-final victory over fierce rivals Glentoran. He added: “Jamie is great to share a changing room with and play with. He’s someone you look to, to see how he conducts himself on and off the pitch. “This year has been a wee bit different where I’ve maybe got forward a bit more and Jamie and Shieldsy have given me the licence to do that. “They’ve been doing a bit more of the dirty work and I always try to take a bit of their game and try to put it into mine. It’s been great from that perspective this season.” All eyes will be on the two standout midfielders in the country - McClean and Cliftonville’s Rory Hale - this afternoon but the Blues ace knows the Reds have quality all over the pitch. He said: “Cliftonville have had a really good season and any game we’ve played them, they’ve been good games. “They are always tough games with so many good players. The likes of Rory Hale and Ronan Doherty have been very good. “We are under no illusions about how difficult it is going to be. It’s the biggest game in the calendar and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

While his team-mates celebrated their triumph in 2021 after defeating Larne at Mourneview Park, he watched from the sidelines due to injury. The ex-St Johnstone midfielder will finally take part in the showpiece match against Cliftonville this afternoon and the experience of missing out three years ago has only added to his desire to get his hands on the trophy. “The Irish Cup is massive. When I was younger I would watch all the finals, and even when I was across the water (at St Johnstone) I remember any time the cup final was on the BBC I'd have tuned in, so my interest has always been there,” said McClean. “Obviously a couple of years ago we got to the final but it was during Covid so there wasn't much of a crowd, and I was injured as well so it's a bit different. “I was buzzing for the boys winning it but I was disappointed about the injury and it gave me a bit of hunger and drive any time I did play in the Irish Cup that I wanted to reach the final and play in it. “I've always wanted to play in one and hopefully I get the opportunity to do that in front of a big crowd. I'm really looking forward to it.” McClean’s influence on the Blues side has ramped up this season and his dominant displays and goalscoring exploits saw him crowned the Player of the Year at the recent NI Football Awards. He believes he is now showing his true worth in David Healy’s team after niggling injuries disrupted previous seasons. "I'm loving it. After the injury I had I probably had a couple of years where I was a bit frustrated with my performances and how things were going,” he revealed. "I've managed to get on a good run from the start of this year. I've loved having a different role trying to get forward and impact games more. "Since I've been here I've loved working under the manager and all the staff. It's a great

Words Mark McIntosh

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