KICK ON OR FACE GEAR STICK

Kyle: We’ve reached top but are there to be shot at if we don’t improve

LINFIELD’S Kyle Mcclean agrees with Blues boss David Healy that the league leaders still have another couple of gears to find in the title race.

The reigning champions, who were held 1-1 by Carrick Rangers at Taylors Avenue midweek, lie five points clear of Larne at the league summit.

But despite leading the way approaching the midway point of the campaign, Healy has insisted his pacesetters have a lot more in their locker.

“I’d agree with the gaffer,” said Mcclean, who joined Linfield on a permanent deal 13 months ago after leaving SPFL club St Johnstone the previous summer.

“We know ourselves as players that we didn’t perform to the levels we’re capable of against Carrick on Tuesday which was very frustrating.

“And while we won at Crusaders last Saturday, we know we can do a lot better. We’ve got to demand more from ourselves and each other.

“I don’t think we’ve hit top gear. Even earlier in the season when we were winning a lot of games, the gaffer was stressing that there’s still more to come from us.

“Maybe it’s a good sign that we’re sitting top and there’s more to come, but we need to find those top gears soon because it’s a very competitive league.”

While Linfield are five points clear of Larne and eight above Crusaders, Mcclean knows any single digit lead is a precarious one at this stage of the season.

The 22-year-old believes the Inver Reds and Crues are in the title hunt for the long haul and isn’t ruling out the lurking threats of Coleraine, never mind the rest of the chasing bunch.

“We might be five points clear but that can change very quickly,” he said.

“Both Larne and Crusaders

are very good teams with very good players, so I don’t expect either of them to fall away from the title race.

“You can also look at the likes of Coleraine, Ballymena and others who have very good players and are capable of putting runs together.

“Coleraine did that recently (six wins on the bounce) and while Ballymena have lost their last two games, they were on a positive run before that.

“I don’t see any of the top teams falling away, particularly when you look at the quality they have.

“It’s going to be really tight.” Mcclean, who has emerged as an ever-present in Healy’s midfield engine room, is relishing making a name for himself in the Irish League.

And having spent a short period on loan at Windsor in 2019, he is chasing his third successive Gibson Cup in only his first full season with the club.

“You learn very quickly that the demands at Linfield are high and you’re expected to win every game, but it has been a great experience,” he said.

“From the first day I walked into the club, I’ve loved it.”