Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Stewart can be a Blue star
LINFIELD captain Jamie Mulgrew believes Jordan Stewart’s solo strike against La Fiorita is just the start of things to come for the former Swindon Town winger at Windsor. Stewart, who joined the Blues in May after an unprofitable two years with the Robins, made an instant impression on his debut in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over the Sammarinese. With time running out in the Champions League first round tie, the former Glentoran forward waltzed past two defenders and the keeper to rifle into an empty net. The crucial victory inched Linfield, who face the second leg in Serravalle on Tuesday, ever closer to a second round date with Scottish champions Celtic. “It was a fantastic goal,” said Mulgrew. “He could have hit it three times and some people maybe thought he’d left it too late, but that’s Jordan. “He has that quality and can make things happen in the final third which is what the manager wants. It’s great for him to score the goal in the manner he did. “He showed real glimpses of quality when he came on and hopefully it holds him in good stead in terms of confidence. It was a really important goal for us.” Mulgrew believes Stewart has the quality to sharpen Linfield’s striking options heading into the new domestic season. He said: “We all know the quality Jordan has and that’s why he got his move to England.” On the prospect of sealing a date with Celtic in the next round, Mulgrew said: “It is a great incentive and we’ve put ourselves in a good position. Hopefully we can finish the job off.”