Keith Cowan 17', Rhyss Campbell 30', Joe McCready 44', Odhran Smyth 87'
Chris Johns (GK), Conor Pepper (Trai Hume 66'), Jimmy Callacher, Sam Roscoe (Michael Newberry 66'), Matthew Clarke (Niall Quinn 45’), Cameron Palmer (Stephen Fallon 45’), Jamie Mulgrew ©, Ahmed Salam, Kirk Millar (Andrew Clarke 60'), Billy Chadwick (Marty Donnelly 45’) Christy Manzinga
Linfield rounded off pre-season with a 4-3 defeat away to Dungannon Swifts this afternoon as striker Christy Manzinga netted a hat-trick for the Blues.
With the championship season already underway, friendly options were limited and so Linfield took on fellow Premiership side Dungannon Swifts. As with all friendlies, getting minutes on the pitch for players’ fitness levels was the main objective and that included 45 minutes for recent signing Martin Donnelly who joined from Larne during the week.
Dungannon Swifts started the match at a frantic pace and threatened within a minute. Rhyss Campbell broke through a challenge from Conor Pepper down the left and surged into the box before squaring it to Joe McCready whose clever backheel was cleared off the line by Matthew Clarke.
A few minutes later, Terry Devlin curled a 20 yard shot just wide of Chris Johns’ goal. Up the other end, Christy Manzinga then threatened for Linfield for the first time when he whipped in a brilliant cross but there was no-one following up to take advantage.
Something similar happened a while later when Ahmed Salam slipped it to Christy Manzinga who flashed a low cross right across the goalline with Billy Chadwick very nearly getting a toe on the end of it.
It was Dungannon Swifts who started the scoring on 17 minutes when experienced defender Keith Cowan met a corner and headed it into the corner. 1-0.
Five minutes later the Blues were inches away from drawing level. Jamie Mulgrew headed the ball back into the box from a free-kick and Ahmed Salam controlled well to get a goalward shot away which was well blocked. The ball fell for Jimmy Callacher at the back post and he lofted it up to the other post where Christy Manzinga headed it, only to see his header come back off the woodwork from close range.
On the half-hour mark, Dean Shiels’ men went 2-0 up. A ball over the top caused problems and Chris Johns had to come out and challenge an attacker. However, the ball fell kindly for Rhyss Campbell who fired into an empty net from 20 yards.
Christy Manzinga responded for Linfield three minutes later to reduce the arrears. The striker picked the ball up on the edge of the box and unleashed a curling strike which found the far top corner of Alex Moore’s goal with the help of a deflection.
Jimmy Callacher then had one cleared off the line after meeting Ahmed Salam’s corner, but the Swifts would go in 3-1 ahead at the break. They added a third after cutting through Linfield on the break through a surging run down the left as the ball was crossed to Rhyss Campbell who touched it to former Ballymena striker Joe McCready who found the bottom corner from 10 yards.
Half Time: Dungannon Swifts 3 – 1 Linfield
The Blues were better in the second half. Martin Donnelly and Stephen Fallon were introduced at the break and the latter almost made an instant impact as he immediately broke through a challenge in midfield and curled just wide from 20 yards.
Linfield pulled back a second goal six minutes into the second half. The ball was played into the feet of Christy Manzinga who turned swiftly in the box to go in the clear and he produced a great powerful beyond Alex Moore to make it 3-2.
Christy’s hat-trick was delayed when he was denied by a great save by Alex Moore. The striker got the ball from Mulgrew in the left channel, broke into the box, beat a defender and then a strong shot was well saved by the goalkeeper.
The Frenchman then clinched his hat-trick on 77 minutes despite Alex Moore’s admirable attempts to thwart him again. Martin Donnelly showed his quality with a great pass through and although the striker was denied at first by another good save, there was no stopping the composed rebound finish to make it 3-3.
Manzinga and Linfield almost had a fourth a few minutes later in an eventful game. This time he was picked out by a brilliant diagonal pass by Jimmy Callacher and after running in on goal he was just edged off it by a backtracking defender who did just enough, just as the striker was about to pull the trigger. Still, he looked very sharp and was a real positive to take from this afternoon’s game.
There was to be a late fourth goal, but for Dungannon Swifts. Shane McGinty found Caolan McAlear and he played it inside to Odhran Smyth who got a shot away inside the box and squeezed it into the near post beyond Johns.
Full Time: Dungannon Swifts 4– 3 Linfield
Match Images
