Manager’s programme notes
Posted : 12th November 2022
Over the course of this weekend, we will face two more challenging fixtures, as we welcome Glenavon to Windsor Park for Saturday’s Premiership game and follow this up with Tuesday’s local derby against Glentoran in the County Antrim Shield semi-final.
Glenavon were tough opponents in their most recent visit here last month and we were delighted to collect all three points, thanks to a late goal by Eetu Vertainen. In the past week Glenavon have recorded impressive results in drawing away to Cliftonville and winning at home to Glentoran, so they will arrive here full of confidence and wanting to maintain the momentum they’ve been building up.
Glentoran will arrive here on Tuesday for the Shield semi-final, full of confidence following their win here in the league last month. They’ve made an impressive start to their domestic season and will be keen to bounce back, following their first setback in the midweek league defeat at Mourneview Park.
We are competing in all competitions and we want to maintain our involvement but to do so, we will need to defeat Glentoran in two semi-finals - firstly in the County Antrim Shield and next month in the Betmclean cup at the Oval.
In recent weeks, we’ve recorded pleasing wins against Newry City, Annagh United and Portadown but unfortunately, while shading the midweek game against Cliftonville, we just couldn’t get the all-important breakthrough goal and had to settle for a point, following a scoreless draw in what was a typical close fought derby game between what on the night were two evenly matched sides.
Injuries continue to affect our squad selection. Kirk Millar had to come off injured at half time in last week’s win at Portadown and he missed the midweek game against Cliftonville.
In addition to Kirk, we have also been missing Ben Hall, Jordan Stewart, Stephen Fallon and Niall Quinn in recent weeks and our medical team have been working hard, to try and get them back into contention for a place in the squad as quickly as possible.
In the recent League cup tie against Annagh United, we were able to give 17-year-old Liam McStravick a first team debut and he repaid the faith we have in him, by scoring a fine goal on a night to remember for him and his family.
It was so pleasing to see such a large turn out of Linfield supporters in last week's game away to Portadown. They certainly helped drive us on to score three second half goals, to earn the all-important three points. I know this heavy schedule of fixtures will be putting a strain on the finances of so many people, especially in the run up to Christmas but I want everyone to know that their sacrifices and support and greatly appreciated by everyone at the club, so we will be doing all we can, to repay that faith, by bringing further success to the club.