Linfield boss David Healy last night admitted he was ‘proud’ of his players – even though they were sensationally dumped out of the Europa Conference League by Latvian side RFS in a night drama at Windsor Park.
The Danske Bank Premiership champions were attempting to write their own little piece of history by becoming the first Irish League to qualify for the group stages for any European tournament and pocket a financial jackpot in the region of £3m.
And, they were only seconds away from their dream. Leading through an Kyle McClean extra-time strike, they had it all whipped away from them right at the end when Blues defender Jimmy Callacher, making his first appearance of the season, smashed the ball into his own net, sending the game to a dreaded penalty shootout.
