David Healy says last year's thrilling BetMcLean League Cup final between Coleraine and Cliftonville whetted his appetite for Linfield getting there this season.
The Reds and Bannsiders shared seven goals in the biggest NI Football League final to date.
Healy was an interested spectator that day and was impressed by the whole occasion, but his biggest takeaway was he wanted the Blues to be a part of it for the first time since winning it in 2019.
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"I was at the cup final last year as a neutral. Normally when managers go to Irish League games they're trying to get out with 15 or 20 minutes left to go but that wasn't the case last year in the final," he said.
"It's a great credit to NIFL, the advertising of it last year, the way they went about it to try and make it a showpiece final and they definitely did that.
"The two teams on the day helped to promote not only the standard of the league but the improvement of it and ourselves as a club this year will have a big support and we're looking forward to that.
"Having been at the final last year and seen it, it was one we wanted to push for.
"Everyone talks about the Irish Cup, the day out and what it means to everybody, but credit to NIFL that everyone worked hard to make it the showpiece of the league.
"When we played Ballymena in 2019, it probably wasn't as big.
"We were underpar that day but found a way to win by riding the crest of a wave and knew how to win.
"It's important we still have some of the players who were involved, have good experience in the dressing room so it's about understanding the magnitude of the game and certainly not make poor decisions early.
"Cup finals are sometimes dictated by emotion.
"People react in different manners when they get to a cup final and they react differently when it's a league game because it doesn't have the furore of the support, press and everyone talking going into it."
Healy knows no team has the right to win anything and has told his team to make the most of their opportunity.
"We've won the Irish Cup a couple of times but to win your first League Cup was a special day," he said.
"We've not been anywhere near in the last couple of years so it's important we maximise it.
"My message to the players is for one or two it might be their first, but for a few, and I include myself in that, it might be their last.
"You never know - the level of competition has improved and everyone is trying to be successful.
"There's a good amount of teams now in the league that feel it's going to be their turn so take advantage of it and embrace it because you never know when you'll be back in a cup final again."
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