Linfield manager David Healy remains focused on the next match despite a commanding lead in the league title race. The Blues secured a crucial victory over Larne, extending their advantage at the top of the table.
Linfield manager David Healy is dismissing any talk that the season's title race is over. The Blues took a significant step towards reclaiming the Gibson Cup with a victory over Larne on Tuesday night. Kieran Offord scored his first goal for the club since joining in January, capitalizing on Andy Ryan's dismissal to secure a crucial three points for Healy's side at Windsor Park.
This result leaves Linfield 20 points ahead of closest challengers Glentoran and 25 points clear of Larne, although both teams have games in hand. Despite their commanding position at the top, Healy insists his focus remains firmly on this Saturday's home match against bottom-placed Loughgall. When questioned about the external noise suggesting the title race is already decided, Healy told Linfield TV: 'Straight away after the game, we talked about moving on quickly and that's what we've done. I congratulated the players on an important three points tonight, but again this Saturday becomes huge for us. 'Loughgall are coming and fighting for their lives. Their last game was against Glentoran when they were denied a point in the last minute with a penalty. I have gone on record before on my appreciation for Loughgall and Dean Smith. 'But it is one game at a time for us. I know it's an old cliche and people don't like it. We never get too far ahead of ourselves, and I don't get too far ahead in terms of my own responsibilities, because you never know when your next day will be your last.' Healy described Tuesday's win over Larne as an 'important victory,' emphasizing that results are paramount 'at this stage of the season.' He added: 'It was an important victory. When we're at this stage of the season it is about winning. I thought our performance was okay. It was difficult playing against the 10 men and we needed more patience. 'You could sense in the second half we were a little bit too eager, as were the fans. We bided our time without creating too much in the 90 minutes. 'But the one big moment we had, Kieran was alive to score. He has scored a lot of goals in and around the goalkeeper and sniffing out mistakes. 'The first goal was key tonight. I don't think Larne troubled us, which was probably down to the extra man we had. We would have liked to have scored a second goal to make things more comfortable
Linfield David Healy Gibson Cup Larne Kieran Offord Loughgall Glentoran Title Race
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