Linfield boss David Healy doesn’t expect any final day favours as the Blues bid to secure a fourth successive league title at Windsor Park this evening.
Coleraine boss Oran Kearney and assistant William ‘Winkie’ Murphy may have been an integral part of the Belfast club’s famous Clean Sweep team of 2006.
But Healy doesn’t expect any old pal’s act to be part of the equation as Linfield head into the final game of the campaign with a narrow one point advantage over Cliftonville.
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The former Northern Ireland striker, who is chasing his fifth title at the Windsor helm, said: “It’ll be tense and edgy and there’ll be butterflies in the stomach.
“But I also hope it is competitive and feisty in terms of the intensity of the game.
“Oran and Winkie are former Linfield players and whatever else, but it’ll make no difference. Coleraine won’t want to be seen to be giving up in terms of a performance
“They are a gifted team and they have some hugely experienced players down the spine of their team. They will also want to go into the European play-offs with momentum.”
While Healy is bracing himself for a nail-biting finale, the 42-year-old is content to be leading the way with just Saturday's final round of fixtures to play.
The Blues, who got their noses in front of the chasing pack in February, are serious odds on with bookmakers to get the job down in South Belfast.
“We wanted to keep it in our own hands and that’s the case,” said Healy. “If we win the game we are league champions and it would be a huge achievement for this group of players.
“It’s not a given that we’re definitely going to win on Saturday and Linfield don't have any given right to win simply because we have won 55 league titles before.
“I have driven that into the players this week, but hopefully this place will be bouncing on Saturday night.”
Healy believes Cliftonville, who last lifted the Gibson Cup under the late Tommy Breslin in 2014, deserve “huge credit” for staying in the title mix until the last day of the season.
Nobody predicted a Gibson Cup charge from the Reds at the start of the season, but Paddy McLaughlin’s men have been a revelation across the campaign.
“Sometimes you just have to tip your hat and give huge credit to Paddy and his players,” said Healy.
“People were asking ‘when are Cliftonville going to drop away?’ but it was Glentoran who dropped away and it has been toe-to-toe with Cliftonville.
“I think our records since the split are identical. I sincerely hope we go on to win the league title but it’s been a helluva shootout and it’s all to play for.”
Linfield are likely to be without influential captain Jamie Mulgrew who was stretchered off during last Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Larne.
Today's games between Linfield and Coleraine at Windsor Park and Glentoran against Cliftonville at the BetMcLean Oval have a 5.30pm kick-off.
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