Linfield are still a whopping 14 points off leaders Larne and look to have relinquished their grip on the title, but Healy was delighted to see a reaction
Linfield manager David Healy believes his team showed a quality on Tuesday night that he prides himself on. After a humiliating Irish Cup exit to Championship side Limavady on Friday, the Blues responded in style with a 6-0 win over Irish Cup holders Dungannon Swifts in the league.
Linfield are still a whopping 14 points off leaders Larne and look to have relinquished their grip on the title, but Healy was delighted to see some resilience.
“It was a difficult, difficult week. There was a lot of anger, lot of frustration and I understand that,” said Healy. “Nobody wants to win more than I do and I want the team and the players to go and perform.
“I did say that sometimes a night like that is humbling, frustrating, disappointing. You need to react and respond, you need to show a little bit of resilience, and that’s what’s important going forward.
“You puff your chest out when you play for this football club. Everything’s a challenge, even when you win it can be a challenge.”
The reigning league champions lost key men like Chris Shields, Robbie McDaid and Kieran Offord to long term injuries this year, and that has proven costly.
“We’ve lost a bit of experience in the dressing room, not only through injuries. We’ve lost key players, people have got a bit older, people have moved on. So it’s about nurturing a lot of the dressing room into Linfield players, what it means,” insisted Healy.
“The fightback has to start, maybe a night like the other night, we have to be ready for the challenge. Linfield have proven, Roy Coyle, David Jeffrey, the most successful managers this country has ever seen. Not everything is smooth sailing.
“It’s about digging in, staying calm. I get people want to bash you at times when it’s down, I get that. But I’ve always prided myself on a bit of resilience.”