Larne must get back to winning ways and fast, insists McDaid
“Oran has proved he is not only a good coach, but he’s a good man manager and he’s got the players onside and they are picking up important results. They’ve beaten Crusaders twice this season and they have beaten us.
“They caught us in a strange moment when we were coming off the back of big results in Europe. We were a little flat on the day and they caught us at a bad time and they enjoyed it.”
Quizzed on what he meant by that, Healy replied: “They enjoyed beating us here.”
Asked to explain, he repeated: “They enjoyed beating us here.”
Was that by making lots of noise? Healy: “They enjoyed beating us. This is an opportunity for us to go to the Showgrounds and enjoy a tasty game.”
Northern Ireland’s record goalscorer was pleased by his side’s clinical dismantling of Warrenpoint, though was demanding even more after the game. He substituted captain
Jamie Mulgrew and striker Shayne Lavery early in the second half to keep them fresh.
“We thought that was the right decision. Jamie has basically played nearly every minute this season,” said Healy.
“Jamie leads by example before, during and after games and makes my job a lot easier. I demand more than them all put together but Jamie is a demanding player.”
On Linfield’s recent run of league wins since losing at Crusaders, the Blues boss added: “I’ve learned not to get carried away with a defeat because it is part of football. If it is done in the right manner like when we lost at Crusaders, when there wasn’t much in the game, there’s no point in me being hugely disappointed.
“Since then we’ve kicked on and done our jobs and will aim to keep doing that.”
LARNE striker Davy McDaid insists his team cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves after a run of four defeats.
Following an impressive start to their Danske Bank Premiership campaign, the newly-promoted east Antrim side have not only slipped into the bottom half of the table, but have been dumped out of the League Cup and County Antrim Shield.
Their latest defeat, a 3-2 home league loss to Glentoran was particularly hard to stomach, especially as Tiernan Lynch’s boys bossed the second 45 minutes.
It took a wonder goal from Patrick McClean — one of McDaid’s best pals — to pinch the points for the Belfast side.
“There is not much you can do about a goal like that,” conceded McDaid (below). “It was a cracking effort, great touch and great technique.
“Obviously, every goal can be stopped, but you have to hold up your hands and applaud a great finish by a defender.
“I gave Patrick a bit of stick about it — he’s a great mate of mine. We were together at Derry City and we shared digs when we were at Waterford as well.
“I scored against him the previous Tuesday in the Shield quarter final and he got his own back in the league game — we had a good bit of banter.
“It was a good enough performance against the Glens, but ultimately we had no points to show for it. It’s been the story of our season so far.
“We are playing well enough. I don’t think there have been many games that we have played poorly.”
With Institute due to make the trip to Inver Park today, McDaid admits it’s crucial that Larne get back to a winning trend.
“There is no point in feeling sorry for ourselves,” said McDaid. “After the little run of defeats, a win is a must against Institute.
“A lot of people at the start of the season were bragging, Larne will do this, Larne will do that.
“Everyone expected us to be challenging at the top.
“It’s about building the squad over a few years. It’s a process.”