The league title may have been clinched a month ago and lifted last week, but Linfield continue to show no signs of dropping their standards as a 2-0 win over Dungannon Swifts at Windsor Park yesterday made it six wins in a row.
Goals either side of the break from Charlie Allen and Josh Archer ensured the Blues maintained a 25 point lead at the top of the Sports Direct Premiership. This means that Linfield are guaranteed to set a new record in terms of largest points tally between first and second place. The previous record was also held by Linfield when David Jeffrey’s Linfield finished 18 points ahead of 2nd place Coleraine in the 1999/2000 season.
The Blues were greeted onto the pitch by a guard of honour from Dungannon Swifts which was a commendable gesture of sportsmanship, particularly given that the Swifts had already done so when the teams met at Stangmore Park a few weeks ago in the final pre-split fixture.
David Healy made nine changes from the team which ignited party mode in last week’s 2-1 win over Glentoran, with David Walsh and Matthew Orr the only survivors. Using the opportunity to give gametime to players who haven’t started regularly, several experienced players such as Ben Hall, Jamie Mulgrew and Joel Cooper were left out of the squad. Kirk Millar was serving a one-match suspension.
Dungannon Swifts needed a win to keep their slim chances of a second place finish alive, and Rodney McAree got a fast start from his team on a day when the Swifts’ boss was named as the NIFL Manager of the Year, having guided his team to a top-six finish and an Irish Cup Final still to come against Cliftonville.
The Swifts went close inside the opening minutes when left-back Adam Glenny found Bermingham whose shot was blocked before Glenny followed up inside the box with a rebound that went just over the bar from a dangerous position.
The Stangmore men went close again in the eighth minute when striker John McGovern anticipated and intercepted a stray pass across Linfield’s defence. McGovern went through on goal and Dane McCullough did well to get a challenge in to halt the forward, but he regathered himself to go one-on-one with David Walsh who came out on top with a good save.
Linfield then took control after ten minutes and played with freedom. There was a lot of pace and energy about the Blues, with Ryan McKay in particular causing the visitors all sorts of problems down the left side. The Blues’ first real chance came for Kieran Offord who did well after being found out the left by McKee before cutting inside and having a low shot saved.
Sadly, in the 22nd minute, the unfortunate Robbie McDaid suffered another blow as he was unable to overcome an injury which brought an end to his match as he was replaced by Rhys Annett.
The Blues then took the lead in the 28th minute. Unsurprisingly, the lively Ryan McKay played a big part in the breakthrough goal as he got down the left and picked out Cammy Ballantyne in the middle. The Scottish midfielder then unselfishly shifted it on to Charlie Allen to his right, and the 21-year-old finished ruthlessly into the roof of the net with his weaker left foot for his third goal of the season.
David Healy’s men almost added a quickfire second with a lovely break down the right before Cammy Ballantyne’s shot was blocked. A short time later, Chris McKee headed the ball through to send Rhys Annett in the clear. The young forward curled the ball towards the far corner but the ‘keeper read it well and made a good diving save.
Offord had another effort go just wide after great footwork in the build-up, McKee fired a long-range free-kick not far wide and then Rhys Annett’s header from McKee’s corner was headed off the line by James Knowles, and so the Blues were unfortunate not to lead by more than one goal at half-time.
HT: Linfield 1-0 Dungannon Swifts
Dungannon Swifts made a half-time change with Caolan Marron unable to shake off an injury. The central defender was replaced by Steven Scott which prompted a slight reshuffle of the Swifts’ back four.
Linfield were fast out of the blocks in the second half. Indeed, they very nearly scored 30 seconds after the break. A good move down the right saw Josh Archer get to the byline where he fizzed a low cross to the back post where Ryan McKay stormed onto it before his low shot was well saved. It would have been a deserved goal, but the goalkeeper had other ideas, so McKay is still awaiting a first Linfield goal.
Offord went close again a short time later, firing a low strike just wide of the far post after being slid through by Charlie Allen who found good pockets of space all afternoon.
David Walsh wasn’t overly busy but had a save to make early in the second half and it was a good one as he sprung to his right to claw away a well-struck free-kick from Dungannon forward Brandon Bermingham from 30 yards out.
In the 62nd minute the Blues finally found the deserved second goal they’d been searching for. It was a swift counter-attack started and finished by Josh Archer. The midfielder broke and found Offord on the right and his cross prompted a goalmouth scramble with McKee and Ballantyne challenging before the ball broke for Archer whose strike took a deflection and looped into the net. The midfielder had an excellent day and the goal was his just reward.
It was almost 3-0 a short time later when Kieran Offord dispossessed Danny Wallace inside the box before squaring it to Cammy Ballantyne at close range. The Scottish midfielder looked certain to score but Dunne made another tremendous save with his feet.
On another occasions the roles were reversed as Ballantyne slipped Offord through on the left side of the box from where his shot was deflected and trickled marginally wide of the post with the goalkeeper beaten.
The Blues went close again in the closing stages with a real quality passage of play. Callumn Morrison showed real class in his cameo appearance and he clipped a great ball out to Allen who volleyed in into the box first time, but it was unfortunately not beyond the reach of Rhys Annett.
This was a really positive Linfield display and had it not been for a couple of great saves and near missed it would have been a bigger margin of victory.
Given it was the Blues’ final home fixture, the squad did a lap of honour with the Gibson Cup after the match and how fitting it was that the late Paul Butler’s two beloved sons would carry the trophy.
FT: Linfield 2-0 Dungannon Swifts
Linfieldfc.com Man of the Match: Dane McCullough
LINFIELD: David Walsh (GK), Matthew Orr (Chris Shields 87’), Scot Whiteside (Euan East 87’), Dane McCullough, Ryan McKay (Matthew Fitzpatrick 81’), Charlie Allen, Josh Archer, Cameron Ballantyne, Chris McKee ©, Kieran Offord (Callumn Morrison 81), Robbie McDaid (Rhys Annett 22’)
Unused: Chris Johns (GK), Ethan McGee
DUNGANNON SWIFTS: Declan Dunne (GK), Cahal McGinty (C), Caolan Marron (Steven Scott 45’), Danny Wallace, Adam Glenny, James Knowles (Leo Alves 56), Grant Hutchinson (Andrew Mitchell 72’), Kealan Dillon (Leon Boyd 56’), Brandon Bermingham, John McGovern (Thomas Maguire 56), Tomas Galvin
Unused: Alex Henderson (GK), Dylan King
Referee: Michael McKenna