Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
EUROPA SHOCK HAUNTS JAMIE
Linfield PSNI Tonight 7.30pm
SKIPPER Jamie Mulgrew admits Linfield have a point to prove tonight against PSNI at Windsor Park.
The 34-year-old is still smarting from last month’s Europa League exit when Maltese outsiders Floriana deprived David Healy’s boys of a moneyspinning second round place.
Mulgrew (inset) conceded the Blues did not perform and that lingering frustration means their Premier Intermediate League opponents could well bear the brunt.
“It’s been three weeks since the European defeat so everyone is busting a gut to get back at it again,” said Mulgrew. “We let ourselves down, didn’t perform to our capabilities and got punished. It was a tough one to take and it is still eating away at me.
“There is no one to blame only ourselves but it’s all water under the bridge and there is nothing we can do about it now. We have to look ahead.”
With the Irish League season delayed until October 17 because of the Covid-19 outbreak, Mulgrew insists it’s vital the Blues lay down an early marker.
Victory tonight would earn them a second round tie with Carrick Rangers or Newington tomorrow week. “We are now back to the bread and butter stuff,” he said. “Our focus is on retaining the league title but we want to have an impact in every tournament. We’ll not be taking the PSNI lightly. We give all our opponents the same respect but we are also determined to erase the memory of that European defeat.”