Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
GREAT PLACE TO GROUND OUT A RESULT
Healy as delighted to be back at Shamrock Park as he was with Blues’ hard-fought victory
DAVID HEALY relished Linfield’s return to Shamrock Park on Saturday – and not just because the Blues kept up their 100% start to the league season.
The champions had just enough know-how to keep a vibrant Portadown side at bay on an incident packed afternoon that saw both sides reduced to ten men.
After the game, Windsor Park boss Healy said: “I’m delighted with the win, a hard-fought three points.
“Coming down here, I’m pleased as an Irish League traditionalist and supporter to see a club with the standing and stature of Portadown back in it.
“I thought the atmosphere was fantastic and a great credit to Portadown.
“We knew it would be difficult and so it proved.”
The game was level at 1-1 thanks to Kirk Millar’s deflected opener for the visitors and Lee Bonis’s headed response early in the second half when referee Lee Tavinder sent Chris Crane off on a second booking for hauling down Blues striker Andy Waterworth.
Advantage Linfield – or so it seemed. Yet a couple of minutes later Bastien Hery, on as a half-time sub for Blues skipper Jamie Mulgrew, received a straight red card for clipping George Tipton round the back of the head after a bit of push and shove in midfield.
Experience and composure then proved vital in determining the outcome of the game as seasoned duo Millar and Waterworth combined for the winner in the immediate aftermath of Hery’s dismissal.
Healy (circled right) added: “Andy is Johnny-on-the-spot. It’s a fantastic ball in by Kirk Millar and it was huge goal for us, one of a hundred important goals Andy Waterworth has scored not only for me but for the football club.
“Kirk puts fantastic crosses in. He practices that in training so it’s not a surprise to me when you see the ball coming in like that.”
Portadown boss Matthew Tipton was encouraged by his side’s performance but also generous in his praise of man-of-the-match Millar.
He said: “Kirk Millar is the best player in the league. He can do everything. Delivery is good, he goes and plays all over the pitch, he’s hard to pick up. He is very good.”
The Welshman added: “We gave Linfield plenty to think about. If we play on the front foot and be brave, that’s how we are going to get the best from ourselves.
“We won tackles, we won headers but we also played a little bit of football at the right times in the right areas so the players did what they were supposed to.
“Linfield are the best team in the league. The won the league last year and they’ll win it again this year.”
PORTADOWN: Pierce, Hall, Crane, Finnegan, Lavery, Tipton, Bonis, Murray, Wilson, Mcnally, Kerr subs Pengelly (not used), Mccallum (not used), Mckeown (replaced Tipton 71), Salley (replaced Murray 80), Croskery (not used), Conaty (not used), Healy
(not used)
AN ANDY RESULT Linfield players are pleased with the team effort in Andy Waterworth’s winner