The first ‘Big Two’ derby of the season ended in disappointment for Linfield who were beaten 3-1 by Glentoran at Windsor Park this evening.
The old adage is that the form-book goes out the window on derby day and unfortunately for Linfield that was the case here. The Blues were coming off the back of their best performance of the season in last week’s 3-0 win away to Coleraine and a comfortable 3-0 win away to Dundela in R1 of the League Cup on Tuesday, although despite some injury concerns from that match, Kirk Millar was fit to start and Matthew Fitzpatrick was strapped up to play tonight. Ryan McKay and Rhys Annett did miss out through inury, however.
It was very much a ‘game of two halves’ as the Blues dominated the first half. David Healy’s team started on the front foot at took the game to Glentoran. Early pressure paid in the eighth minute when Matthew Fitzpatrick set the ball for Kirk Millar inside the box – he dropped the shoulder and pulled the ball across goal where it took a knick before Joel Cooper came storming onto the end of it to rifle the ball in off the underside of the crossbar for his eighth goal of the season.
The Blues played some neat football and created numerous chances in the first half, but failure to take them ultimately proved costly. Minutes after the opener, Millar’s deep free-kick was met by Ethan McGee at the back post and headed across goal but it didn’t quite fall for a teammate.
Minutes later, Joel Cooper went close to scoring again. The winger played a neat one-two with Matthew Fitzpatrick inside the box which saw him bear down on goal, but faced with a goalkeeper of big stature he had the challenge to trying to convert it. Cooper cutely clipped the ball over him but it flashed across the face of goal, and Glentoran managed to scramble the ball away before Fitzpatrick could turn it in.
Further close shaves saw Kirk Millar’s volley strike the heel of teammate Fitzpatrick before going narrowly wide, and Joel Cooper letting fly with an ambitious dipping volley from distance which had the goalkeeper worried, but he was unlucky to see a great effort land on the roof of the net. Fitzpatrick then forced the goalkeeper into a good save following a good touch and driven shot from a tight angle.
The Blues had a massive opportunity a couple of minutes before half-time, countering a Glentoran set-piece. Fitzpatrick teed Cooper to run from deep and he then found McGee storming down the right from where he produced a great low cross for Charlie Allen who will be disappointed not to have scored from close range. The goalkeeper used his big frame well to make the stop, but Allen will feel he is capable to converting such an opportunity.
It was a key point in the match. If the Blues had went two-up before the break then the match could have turned out differently, and they would have been worthy of at least a two-goal lead at the break on the balance of the first-half play.
HT: Linfield 1-0 Glentoran
As good as the Blues were in the first half, the second half was the polar opposite. It was Glentoran who came out of the traps quickly. The Glens brought a more aggressive approach to the second half and forced a series of corners early in the half.
The pressure paid off for Glentoran five minutes after the break as they found an equaliser. From a defensive perspective, Linfield will be disappointed that Jay Donnelly was afforded time and space on the edge of the box to receive Danny Amos’ left-wing cross before drilling a low strike through Scot Whiteside, into the net with his left foot.
Where Linfield were popping the ball around in the first half, all of a sudden they were going much more direct in search of Matthew Fitzpatrick. It did almost work on one occasion at 1-1 as the striker latched onto Millar’s pass to draw a decent save out of the ‘keeper from a tight angle. Ethan McGee also went close a short time later, running free onto Kirk Millar’s corner delivery to the back post, but his first-time shot was well kept out by the ‘keeper who saved with his feet.
However, despite the equaliser, the Blues didn’t heed the wake-up call, and even though they had those two chances in fairly quick succession, they still didn’t get a grip of things and the Glentoran momentum continued to build.
The Glens then took the lead on 63 minutes when a corner from the left was met by English defender Frankie Hvid who rose above Scot Whiteside to power in a header.
Not only were the Blues living dangerously, their attacking threat had very much died down, too. Ethan McGee fizzed an ambitious effort not far beyond the top corner of the net at 2-1 – a decent effort, however the lack of options available to him in the middle was very much in contrast to how things had been going in the first half.
The Blues had a further scare from another set-piece 20 minutes from time as Glentoran captain Marcus Kane headed narrowly wide of the post, but still, they showed very little by way of a response to the Glentoran second half pressure.
David Healy made a double substitution on 73 minutes with Joel Cooper withdrawn due to a knock, which isn’t ideal given the Blues’ lengthy injury list. He was replaced by the returning Chris McKee, whilst young 17-year-old central defender Matthew Orr made his first derby appearance, replacing Scot Whiteside.
Still, the Blues never truly looked like coming back and their misery was compounded when Glentoran were gifted a third goal with ten minutes remaining as former Blues midfielder Cameron Palmer stole the ball off Chris Shields high up the pitch to run in and slot a low shot beyond Chris Johns.
Cameron Ballantyne, Josh Archer and Kalum Thomspon replaced Kyle McClean, Jamie Mulgrew and Charlie Allen in the 84th minute, and there were a further six minutes added on at the end, but the Blues didn’t carve out anything of note and the match fizzled out.
A very disappointing result and second half display from the Blues who travel to Seaview to face Crusaders twice next week; firstly, in the Co. Antrim Shield, and then in League action next Saturday. The Blues could be knocked off top spot by Ballymena United tomorrow. In any case, a response is required.
FT: Linfield 1-3 Glentoran