Niall Quinn programme article
Posted : 3rd November 2018
Seven seasons into his Linfield career, Niall Quinn is now considered a tried and trusted campaigner – so much so that he has now played central midfield, left midfield, left-back and right-back already this season. Although some players wouldn’t be comfortable outside of their natural position, Quinn told ‘Look at Linfield’ that he’s happy to play anywhere as long as he’s on the pitch.
“I’m happy to play anywhere on the pitch, as long as I play. I’ve told the manager he can slot me in wherever and he’ll get a good job out of me. There’s a battle here to hold onto your shirt, once you get it and I hope I’ve done enough to start the next game. I’m here over six years now and was delighted to have made my 200th Linfield appearance recently. I want to stay here and rack up a few more.”
The 25 year-old set up an equaliser, as Linfield came from behind at Dungannon last week to snatch a late victory and on a day when Linfield weren’t at their best, Quinn says it was a big three points at a tough venue.
“Dungannon is always a tough place to go, so to go 1-0 down and come back and win showed good character from the boys. All that mattered was getting the three points and getting back up the road again. They’re the wins you look back at, at the end of the season, when you’ve found a way to win without being at your best. It could be a big win for us. Every game is crucial and we just have to approach each game as it comes and then see where we are at the end of the season.”
With Warrenpoint coming to Windsor Park this afternoon, Linfield hope to keep pressure on league leaders Glenavon but Quinn warns that Warrenpoint will prove to be a tougher test than when Linfield last played Stephen McDonnell’s team.
“We were unbeaten until a big slip up against Ards but it was important to bounce back in the league last week and thankfully, we managed it. Hopefully, we can kick on now against Warrenpoint. They had a decent run of form there and they’ll be tough. It’ll be a different game than the one we won 5-0 down there in September, so we need to approach it professionally, as always, to get three points. It’s a good challenge when teams set up shop. We have talented players high up the pitch and we’ll try and get them on the ball in the final third and let them do their thing.”
Best wishes to Niall and the team for this afternoon’s fixture and indeed the season ahead, as they aim to build on a promising start to the season.