David Healy admitted he was pleased but urged he wants more from his players after we secured our place in another BetMcLean Cup Final with a 1–0 semi-final win over Ballymena United at Windsor Park.

The manager felt our overall performance was solid, but believes we should have put the game to bed much earlier.

“For large parts I thought we were okay, but we probably made it more difficult than it needed to be,” Healy said. “We let them off the hook, especially in the first half when some of our play was very good.

“What I don’t want is coming in at half-time frustrated that you’re only 1–0 up. We’ve got to be more destructive and more ruthless in the final third. We need to pick better passes and be more clinical.”

Healy felt the late pressure from Ballymena could have been avoided if we had taken our earlier chances.

“The frustrating thing is that we didn’t do enough previously to go and get the second goal,” he said. “When teams chase the game they become more direct and things can get a bit jittery, so there were one or two important blocks towards the end.”

Despite that, the manager was pleased with how the side managed the game, particularly in midfield.

“They’re young, they’re athletic and they give us something different. Credit to them, they managed the game well.”

Healy also praised our goalkeeper and defensive unit for maintaining another clean sheet.

“I thought the goalkeeper was sound tonight, his decision-making and his catching were important,” he said. “It’s important he’s playing at the top of his game and I think he is at the minute.”

Looking ahead to the BetMcLean Cup Final at Windsor Park, Healy expects a strong backing from the Linfield support.

“I have absolutely no doubt whoever we play in the final will take our full allocation,” he added.

With attention now turning back to league action against the same opposition this weekend, Healy hopes his side can build on the result.

“We’ve had back-to-back games like this before and won both so hopefully we can do it again.”

Last night’s success means that David Healy has now led the club to 13 cup finals under his reign as manager.