No old pals’ act as cool Frazer aims to pile woe on Linfield
ARDS striker Jonny Frazer says he’s fired up to deepen the crisis at his old club Linfield this afternoon.
The Blues are in desperate need of three points at Windsor Park after a 5-2 defeat at home to Crusaders saw them slump 10 points adrift of league leaders Coleraine and it will be a painful irony if Frazer, a graduate of the Linfield youth ranks, lands another title blow.
Colin Nixon’s side are braced for a backlash but they go into the game with a bit of momentum after securing back-to-back wins against Glenavon in the League Cup and Warrenpoint Town in the Premiership.
The north Down men face another trip to Windsor Park on Monday night for a County Antrim Shield clash, making it a daunting double-header but Frazer plans to show little sympathy to his old pals.
“Linfield over the next two games will be like a wounded animal and you’ve got to anticipate a response from them,” said the frontman who had loan spells at both Warrenpoint Town and Ballymena United before joining Ards in the summer.
“They haven’t been playing well and that was a bad result against Crusaders. They’ll be determined to put that right but I honestly believe we are capable of giving them more headaches.
“We are confident we can beat anybody in the league and there’s no reason why we cannot go to Windsor Park and win the game, the boys have that belief and confidence. We went to Crusaders, which is a difficult place to go, and came away with a point but it could have been three if I had converted a good chance that came my way.
“I think Linfield are going to find it very tough to defend their title. Firstly, they need to lift their own performances but also other teams like Glenavon, Cliftonville and Crusaders are big threats and Coleraine are flying. People keep saying Coleraine’s great run will come to an end but it doesn’t look like happening. They’ve had injuries but it hasn’t affected them too much.
“Linfield can’t afford to slip up in too many matches and that brings pressure.
“There is time to close that 10-point gap but they have a fight on their hands.
“This is an unpredictable league and anything can happen.”
Frazer is getting regular game time at Ards and he hopes to add to his three league goals this campaign.
“I’m enjoying it more now because I’m playing every week,” he added. “We are going well at the moment but it was a difficult start to the season, it was something we didn’t expect. We’ve got a difficult run of fixtures but the boys are motivated to keep making progress.
“We feel we can get something from every fixture even if the run looks difficult on paper.” • PORTADOWN were hammered 4-1 by Newry City AFC in the Championship at Shamrock Park last night, sparking speculation that manager Niall Currie is set to quit as manager.
The Ports are seventh in the league after securing only 13 points from 11 matches.
Currie is feeling the heat after a poor start to the campaign and this result could edge him closer to the exit door.