Irish Cup - Final | Larne V Linfield

D A V I D H E A L Y

T H E M A N A G E R

Whisper it quietly - and preferably out of earshot of the Linfield dugout - but David Healy is inching closer to an exclusive club.

Lift the Sadler’s Peaky Blinder Irish Cup this evening and the former Northern Ireland striker will complete the first half of a domestic double. Win at Coleraine in the league on Tuesday and he will add a third successive Gibson Cup to the Windsor Park trophy cabinet - and join legendary duo David Jeffrey and Roy Coyle as recent Linfield managers who won multiple doubles during their time at Windsor Park. Jeffrey, now managing Ballymena United, who lost to the Blues in Tuesday night’s semi-final at Mourneview Park, won six doubles during a memorable 17-year tenure in south Belfast.

“The players are fully focused on this final and I know they are hungry and excited going into another big game.” Healy freely admits last year’s shock Irish Cup defeat to Queen’s University at The Dub has helped fuel Linfield’s charge to the 2021 final. “I was embarrassed after losing to Queen’s last year and the memory of that defeat is never far from my mind,” he said. “It was a horrible day and I know the players were hugely disappointed, but this season has given us an opportunity to put things right.

“The majority of the players on the end of that result last year are still in our dressing room and I know they have been determined to make amends.” While Linfield are marginal favourites going in to tonight’s decider, they have struggled against Tiernan Lynch’s men since Larne returned to the top flight in 2019.

Coyle, who went on to win three league titles and four Irish Cups with Belfast rivals Glentoran, completed the feat with Linfield on three occasions - in 1978, 1980 and 1982. Another landmark moment is tantalisingly close for

Healy who celebrated double success with Linfield for the first time in 2017. Mind you, just don’t mention it to the 41-year-old, who greets premature conjecture with the kind of deadpan disdain that would wilt a cup final carnation at 20 paces. When asked about the prospect of adding another double to his managerial CV, Healy replied: “We’ll worry about the Irish Cup final first. “We have an opportunity to bring another trophy back to Windsor Park and that’s our only focus at the moment - we’re not looking beyond this final. “We have two games left in the league, at Coleraine and Cliftonville, and there’ll be pressure on those games, but we will deal with those when they come.

In their last seven meetings in all competitions, Linfield have won only twice with Larne coming out on top four times, including a 2-1 win in the NIFL Premiership at the home of the Blues last weekend. Healy said: “In previous rounds we had to scramble around for information on the likes of Loughgall and Annagh United, but that won’t be the case with Larne. “We know all about them. They are a good side, but we’re also a good side and we’ll go into it full of confidence on the back of a strong semi-final win over Ballymena.”

Words: Darren Fullerton, Daily Mirror

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