Linfield boss David Healy insists tonight’s Premiership blockbuster against Glentoran at the BetMcLean Oval should not be labelled a title decider.
Fireworks are usually guaranteed when Belfast’s Big Two go head-to-head and this should be a cracker, with the clubs only separated by goal difference at the top of the table.
Following back-to-back defeats by Coleraine and Larne – the latter ending their reign as Irish Cup holders – Healy’s boys gobbled up a large slice of revenge with a morale-boosting victory over Tiernan Lynch’s East Antrim side in midweek.
The win catapulted the Blues back to the summit as 10-man Glentoran conceded a last-minute equaliser against Portadown at Shamrock Park.
Mick McDermott’s team had defender Paddy McClean red carded in the first half, which means he misses out tonight.
Although it’s advantage Linfield, Healy is having none of it.
He said: “We are looking forward to it, especially the way the table is. It’s not make-or-break for either side, win, lose or draw.
“The league campaign is not at that stage just yet.
“If it’s a similar scenario when the split (the final five games) arrives when we play each other, then it might be different.
“We are all aware it’s a big game. There will be a big crowd and there’ll be a great atmosphere. Bring it on.
“Previous results mean nothing when it comes to Big Two games – they are all tough games and it will be the same this time.
“I know we have quite a few new faces on board, but the environment shouldn’t matter to them. Some of them are on loan, short-term, but it doesn’t mean they don’t care.
“The players understand what we are about and some of them got a little taste of the expectations at this club in midweek.
“Apart from the goals, some of the loudest moments ( from the fans) was for block tackles and people closing others down.
“Some of them have aspirations of playing at the top level, so going to The Oval should hold no fears for any of them.”
Healy was delighted with his team’s reaction against Larne in midweek.
“It was a crucial three points.
“The performance wasn’t the most important thing, it was all about the result. We didn’t play as well as we have done in previous games, we mixed it up a bit.
“We didn’t create too many chances, but I don’t think Larne had too many either. It was all about the three points and getting over the line.
“When questions are asked of you, the knives being sharpened and the doubters are hovering, sometimes you have to come out fighting, myself included.
“The key to the performance was the boys who have been here and understood what’s at stake. It was about the result, the grit, the determination.
“We had been short in the previous two games; we hadn’t shown enough of that. But the players again showed they are playing for the shirt, they understood their jobs and responsibilities.”
