Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
THE BLUES BROTHERS
Stewart: Our team spirit is so strong.. we know we can win even if we’re not at our best
Linfield 4 Warrenpoint Town 0
HAT-TRICK hero Jordan Stewart believes table topping Linfield are proving they can win with style and substance in the Premiership this season.
David Healy’s men didn’t scale the heights in the early stages of Saturday’s four goal blitz of Warrenpoint, but the league leaders held firm and their class eventually shone through.
Stewart pounced for only his third career treble and Andy Waterworth nodded in his 23rd goal of the season to make it six wins on the bounce in all competitions.
Ballymena United’s 2-2 draw with Dungannon also meant the Blues edged three points clear of the Sky Blues and Crusaders at the summit.
“It’s not always about playing well,” said Stewart. “We’ve shown we can grind out results when we haven’t been at our best and you’ve seen that the past few weeks.
“Warrenpoint played some lovely football and it took us half an hour to really get going, but the manager changed our shape and we got a hold of the game.
“Maybe it took us a while to get going, but we were absolutely brilliant in the second half. There’s such a good team spirit here and everyone works hard for each other.”
Stewart swept Linfield ahead just before the break after good work from Joel Cooper then added a second from the penalty spot on the hour mark.
Waterworth steered a flashing header into the bottom corner on 80 minutes and Stewart completed his hat-trick with a clinical finish three minutes later.
It got worse for the visitors, who had lost just one of their last five away games prior to the weekend, when Matthew Lynch was sent off for a second yellow card.
“On a personal note, it was great to score three goals,” Stewart said. “But for the team to score four and keep another clean sheet was also a massive positive.
“It’s something ridiculous now since we conceded in the league (473 minutes) so confidence is sky high, although it’s a long season and we know we haven’t won anything yet.”
Stewart, who scored a treble for Linfield against Ballinamallard United last season and for former club Glentoran in 2015, rates Saturday’s hat-trick his best yet.
It’s easy to forget the 23-year-old, who is on eight goals for the season, looked to be on his way out of Windsor after being transfer listed back in August.
“That was my third hat-trick and it was very special,” he said. “This one gave me the most pleasure because it has been a good month or two for me.
“I struggled with injuries and waited a long time to get back in the team, so this seals off a good period for me.
“It was also pleasing to score a penalty because
I’d missed a couple for
Linfield. I definitely enjoyed putting that one away.”