Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Hamilton: Win would be huge
GLENAVON boss Gary Hamilton has urged his players to appreciate the value of three points against Linfield at Windsor Park this afternoon.
A win in Belfast would ease the Lurgan Blues, who lie third in the Danske Bank Premiership, six points clear of David Healy’s men in the race for European qualification.
Depending on the result in the top of the table clash between Coleraine and Crusaders, Hamilton could also close the gap on second spot.
“It’s a massive game at Linfield,” he said. “They have hit a bit of form in the last few weeks and picked up a couple of wins, so we know it’ll be a very difficult game.
“Only three points separate us and as things stand it’s a game between two very evenly matched teams, so we must repeat the kind of performance we did against Cliftonville.”
While it took a late Sammy Clingan equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw with the Reds at Mourneview Park last Saturday, Hamilton was more than pleased with his team’s performance.
“If we produce a similar display against Linfield, we are capable of winning the game,” he said.
“I thought we were excellent and produced some superb football against Cliftonville. Unfortunately it was two points missed for us.
“We missed so many chances, but overall it was a really good performance and we didn’t get the rub of the green.”
Linfield have won the last three meetings between the sides.