Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
NOT TIME TO MUL IT ALL OVER
Records are fine but Jamie’s just focused on the here and now
LINFIELD skipper Jamie Mulgrew will turn a blind eye to landmarks as he plots another European odyssey with the Big Two giants.
Mulgrew set a new club record when he made his 37th appearance in Europe in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Tre Fiori of San Marino.
As well as eclipsing former record holder Noel Bailie on 36, the midfielder is also closing in on his 600th appearance for the club.
Not that Mulgrew is fixated on personal feats as Linfield prepare to face Kosovan champions Drita in today’s preliminary round decider in Nyon.
“I’m very proud of everything I’ve achieved here and I would never have imagined I’d have gone on to play 37 games in Europe with Linfield,” he said.
“Noel was a big influence on me when I joined the club (in 2005) and for me he’s the greatest of them all, so it was a privilege to play alongside him.
“Thankfully I’ve been here a long time and reaching 600 games would be a fantastic milestone, but my focus is on Tuesday night.
“Hopefully I can continue to contribute to the team and reach 600 when it comes.”
High on Mulgrew’s to-do list in the weeks ahead is to emulate last season’s dramatic charge to the brink of the Europa League group stages.
If the Blues beat Drita they face Legia Warsaw in Poland in the next round of the Champions League, but have the consolation of knowing defeat in either tie will see them fall into the Europa League.
Mulgrew, who has captained the Blues to three league titles in the past four years, said: “Last year’s long run in Europe was a big standout for me.
“The run we went on is probably something we never imagined would happen, but how we performed was very special.
“It was a brilliant journey and it has given us a real desire to try and replicate that this year and hopefully go one step further.
“Yes, it’s a big ask, but there’s no harm in dreaming or striving to better what we did last year. We want to continue that journey.”
On the threat posed by Drita, who beat Inter of Andorra at the weekend, Mulgrew said: “We have more information on them now having watched them and they will be dangerous.”
Meanwhile, Linfield chairman Roy Mcgivern has dismissed suggestions Navid Nasseri (inset) and Conor Pepper joined the Blues from rivals Glentoran for purely financial reasons.
He said: “That’s not the case. Players have come to Linfield because they want to be part of a successful team and they have all fitted into our wage structure.
“Our budget is the same as last season.”