In the corridors of Windsor Park, Linfield officials toasted their success at the conclusion of a testing and demanding campaign. The South Belfast club had just lifted their fourth successive Irish Premiership title and the 56th in their history – a world record that surpassed Scottish giants Rangers.
Yet nobody was getting carried away with the celebrations as attention swiftly turned to the next challenge. Just 66 days separated Linfield clinching the title – pipping Cliftonville by a solitary point in a close-fought race – and the commencement of their 2022/23 campaign with this week’s Champions League qualification first-leg tie against Welsh champions The New Saints.
In addition to their league title haul, the Blues have 44 Irish Cup successes to their name and over 200 trophies in total. In the 1921-22 and 1961-62 campaigns, the club remarkably completed a ‘clean sweep’ of all seven domestic competitions on offer. While the number of domestic cups has been drastically reduced in recent decades, Linfield won all four trophies in the 2005-06 season – a campaign which sparked the winning of six league and Irish Cup ‘doubles’ in seven seasons.
