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138-1007: Linfield may refer to: Linfield F.C. , a semi-professional football club in Northern Ireland Linfield University , in Oregon, United States Linfield Review , a newspaper published by students at Linfield University Linfield, Pennsylvania , a village in Pennsylvania, United States People with the surname [ edit ] Frances Linfield (1852–1940), American educator, social activist and philanthropist Frederick Linfield (1861–1939), British politician George Fisher Linfield (1846–1890), American clergyman and educator Mark Linfield , producer of nature documentaries on British TV See also [ edit ] Lindfield (disambiguation) Lingfield (disambiguation) Topics referred to by

276-664: A World Cup qualifying game against Malta , and he scored his first competitive goal for his country a month later against Denmark . On 6 June 2004, in a friendly game away to Trinidad and Tobago (his 35th international), he scored his 13th and 14th goals for Northern Ireland, thus equalling and overtaking Colin Clarke 's record for the country. In September of that year, Healy was controversially sent off in Northern Ireland's 2–2 draw with Wales . After celebrating his goal to put Northern Ireland 2–0 up, he gestured towards

414-516: A cross . He scored his first goal for Ipswich on 24 February 2010, in a 1–1 draw with Scunthorpe United , salvaging a point and ending his goal drought by scoring for the first time in over a year. Healy joined Doncaster Rovers on loan in November 2010, to fill the void left by the injured Billy Sharp . He marked his Doncaster debut with a goal, finding the net in a 2–1 win over Millwall on 6 November. Doncaster extended Healy's loan spell into

552-519: A domestic quadruple , and has also won three domestic trebles . The club also holds the world record for the most domestic doubles , with 25. Linfield is one of only three clubs to have completed an Irish League campaign unbeaten, having done so on four occasions. The club was one of the eight founding members of the Irish League in 1890, won the inaugural league title , and is one of only three clubs to have gone on to compete in every season of

690-558: A 1–0 over Ballymena United. Healy won his second league title as a manager during the 2018–19 campaign, with Linfield finishing seven points ahead of second-placed Ballymena United and Healy also being named Manager of the Year. He also added the League Cup to his collection, as Linfield defeated Ballymena United 1–0 in the final. Linfield also reached the 2019 County Antrim Shield final, losing out 4–3 to Crusaders. He stated that he

828-533: A 1–1 draw, crowd disturbance prompted UEFA to switch the second leg to the Haarlem Stadion , Netherlands . Linfield were held almost entirely accountable for the events, and were forced to pay Dundalk's costs to travel to the Netherlands as well as an additional £5,000 for damage sustained to Oriel Park . Dundalk were fined £870 for providing insufficient security at the match. Dundalk eventually won

966-589: A 3–1 victory over Coleraine at The Oval . They went on to lose to Celtic in the second round of qualification for the UEFA Champions League in the 2017–18 season, and had a disappointing campaign domestically as they finished fourth in the league and exited both cup competitions at the quarter-finals. On 16 February 2019, Healy won his fifth domestic honour with Linfield as they won the Northern Irish League Cup final with

1104-469: A 4–1 victory over Dunfermline Athletic on 11 February. He left Ibrox at the end of the 2011–12 season following the expiration of his contract. He signed a one-year deal with League One side Bury in August 2012. He had previously been linked with a return to Preston North End, but manager Graham Westley rejected the chance to re-sign the striker after finding that Preston fans still resented Healy for

1242-498: A 5–0 loss in a pre-season friendly against his former club Leeds United . The match was part of Glenavon's 125th anniversary celebrations. He made his debut for Northern Ireland on 23 February 2000, putting a brace past Luxembourg . He was still only 20 years old; having made his début for Manchester United the previous October, he had just joined Port Vale on loan. His competitive international début came in September 2000, in

1380-641: A 9–0 win over Omagh Town on 3 August 1999, before coming on for Nicky Butt in a 2–0 win over Wigan Athletic the next day. He made his competitive senior debut for United on 13 October 1999, coming on for Danny Higginbotham in the 66th minute of a 3–0 away defeat to Aston Villa in the League Cup . He remained a regular in the reserves that season, playing 13 times and scoring eight goals before being sent on loan to Port Vale in February 2000. He managed just three goals in 16 games for Brian Horton 's side, who were relegated to Division Two. In 2000–01, Healy

1518-571: A County Antrim Shield semi-final at Windsor Park in October 2013. Cliftonville's fine of an extra £250 came as a result of their fans causing a big bang during the game. Both clubs criticised the decision, and expressed their intent to appeal against the fines. In April 2014, the punishments were rescinded on appeal. There was also crowd trouble at a league fixture between the clubs at Windsor Park in March 2014, with reports of missiles being thrown after

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1656-469: A fierce rivalry with Belfast Celtic until Celtic's withdrawal from the league for political reasons in 1949. Since that time the club's main rival has been Glentoran , with the duo known locally as the Big Two . This rivalry traditionally includes a league derby played on Boxing Day each year, which usually attracts Northern Ireland's highest domestic attendance of the season, excluding cup finals. For

1794-402: A form of State aid towards Linfield. They, along with other Irish League clubs, felt that this gives Linfield an unfair advantage by allowing them to offer more attractive wages and have a larger squad than all of the other clubs. When Crusaders played Linfield at Windsor Park at the end of April, their club officials were allegedly informed that they would not be welcome in the directors box or

1932-457: A friendly match arranged to officially commemorate the opening of the stadium. The first competitive game played at the stadium took place just a few days later on 2 September 1905, and ended with a 1–0 win for Linfield over Glentoran – the other half of the "Big Two" Belfast teams – though Belfast Celtic were Linfield's main rivals at the time. Windsor Park is the largest Association football stadium in Northern Ireland, with Glentoran's ground,

2070-562: A healthy goal-to-games ratio, before transferring to Leeds United in 2004. After three years at Leeds, he moved on to Fulham for a season before settling at Sunderland in 2008. He moved north to Scotland to play for Rangers in January 2011. He helped the club to the SPL title in 2010–11 and also played in the 2011 League Cup final victory, before departing at the end of the 2011–12 season, when his contract expired. He joined Bury for

2208-482: A landmark 50th league title arrived during the club's 125th anniversary year. Bailie retired from football in April 2011 at the age of 40, after making 1,013 appearances for the club in all competitions since making his debut against Ballymena United in March 1989. Linfield subsequently retired the number 11 shirt in his honour. In the 2011–12 season, Linfield won a league and cup double for the third consecutive season and

2346-459: A month's loan at the end of January. In the end, he stayed for the remainder of the season. However, in thirteen appearances for the "Canaries" he scored only scored past Sheffield Wednesday and Wimbledon . Having attempted to sign him from Man United two years previously, Norwich attempted to sign Healy permanently from Preston but were denied by Brown. He found his scoring form again in 2003–04 , and netted 15 times in 42 matches for Preston. He

2484-488: A one-season spell in August 2012. In addition to these clubs, he has also played for Port Vale , Norwich City , Ipswich Town , and Doncaster Rovers on loan. Bury released him in May 2013, and he retired in November 2013 after failing to find a club. Before representing his country at a senior level, he also played for both the under-21 team and the B team . He began his management career with Linfield in October 2015 and led

2622-419: A player in 1996 following a one-year spell at Larne , David Jeffrey returned to the club as Anderson's assistant manager. This partnership lasted until Anderson resigned on the morning of 4 January 1997. Anderson later became Director of Football at Newry Town . Jeffrey took charge of the team in a caretaker capacity for a league match against Portadown that afternoon, and remained as caretaker manager for

2760-413: A possible settlement brought forward by the judicial review. The details of the settlement were not made public, but Crusaders said that it had the "potential to benefit the entirety of the football family" . In September 2013, sports minister Carál Ní Chuilín said that she was still committed to making sure the redevelopment went ahead as scheduled, after previously stating that she would not sign off on

2898-543: A pre-season friendly against South China in the Asia Trophy , with a low diving header . He scored fifty seconds into his league debut for the club following a mistake from Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann . He also found the net in his second game against Bolton Wanderers , in a 2–1 win at Craven Cottage . However, he only scored two further top-flight goals in the season (past Reading and Sunderland), as well as two cup goals past Bolton and Bristol Rovers . Following

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3036-419: A professional in November 1997 and scored a combined 20 league goals for the A and B teams in 1997–98. He made his debut for the reserve team in April 1998, coming on as a substitute for Ole Gunnar Solskjær in a 2–0 win over Birmingham City . In 1998–99, he remained a prolific scorer for the youth team , scoring 11 goals in 11 appearances to finish as the team's top scorer for the season while also becoming

3174-412: A record 43rd time by defeating Crusaders 4–1 on penalties following a 0–0 draw after extra time in the final. This was a significant milestone for Jeffrey – his 31st and last trophy as Linfield manager, equalling Roy Coyle's record. Jeffrey still had the opportunity to win a record-breaking 32nd trophy as manager in the form of the 2013–14 league title. However, despite topping the league table for much of

3312-451: A record twelve times, as well as four all-Ireland cup competitions, among other domestic cups, taking its trophy count to well over 115. In the 1921–22 season, Linfield completed an unprecedented clean sweep of all seven available trophies ( Septuple ) – to date, this is the only recorded instance of a seven-trophy season being achieved in world football. In the modern era, the club won all four available domestic trophies in 2006 to complete

3450-545: A regular for the reserves. He only managed two goals in 12 league appearances. However, he was more productive in the Manchester Senior Cup , scoring four in five, including opening the scoring in the final against Oldham Athletic , which United won 3–0. Healy made his first appearances for the Manchester United first-team in pre-season ahead of the 1999–2000 campaign, coming on for Andy Cole in

3588-600: A result of the Second World War , with another temporary unofficial league set up which was called the Northern Regional League . Linfield won this league three times – in 1942–43, 1944–45 and 1945–46. This league ran for seven seasons until the return of the Irish League once again in 1947. In 1957, Jackie Milburn famously signed for the Blues as player-manager from Newcastle United , and won

3726-476: A right-winger, with Leeds rotating Hulse, Cresswell and Blake up front. Healy then finished the following 2006–07 season as Leeds' top scorer with ten goals. With Leeds relegated into League One , he left the club at the end of the campaign. Healy reunited with former Northern Ireland boss Lawrie Sanchez at Fulham in July 2007 for a reported fee of around £1.5 million. He scored his first goal for Fulham in

3864-423: A second month. In January 2011, Healy signed for Rangers on a six-month deal, intending to sign a longer contract. Having scored in his Leeds, Fulham, Sunderland, Doncaster and Northern Ireland debuts, he also marked his first Rangers appearance with a goal, coming off the bench to add the final goal of a 6–0 win over Motherwell on 12 February. Upon the expiry of his contract he signed a new one-year deal with

4002-405: A series of phased works originally intended to begin in the middle of 2013. The redevelopment would include the demolition of the existing East and South Stand structures, to be replaced by new purpose built stands that would partially enclose the stadium; complete renovation of the existing North and West Stands; and construction of both new conferencing facilities and a new headquarters facility for

4140-531: A three-year contract for an undisclosed fee, believed to be worth £1.2 million. Despite this sum he would never start a league game for the "Black Cats". Healy made his debut for Sunderland four days later in the League Cup and marked by scoring the winning goal in extra time against Nottingham Forest . Healy also scored in the FA Cup against Blackburn Rovers . Healy scored his first Premier League goal for

4278-474: A winner from a late penalty . He made his Premier League debut on 23 December 2000 in a 2–0 victory against Ipswich Town at Old Trafford ; he came on as substitute in the 60th minute, and with 10 minutes remaining, he hit the post denying him a debut goal. This was his final appearance for United as he signed for First Division club Preston North End six days later, initially on loan to allow him to play against Sheffield United on 30 December; Healy scored

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4416-671: A world-class striker in Davor Suker to do so. The outstanding performance of David in the qualifying competition of the European Championship and his goal tally of 13 goals is a new record and deserves to be recognised. I am sure that this record will last for some time to come and will be hard to beat. This is why I will be presenting him with a special award to celebrate his fantastic achievement." In October 2008, Healy received several death threats after he welcomed an international goal he had scored by saying 'the famine

4554-625: Is Glentoran from east Belfast – a rivalry which is commonly referred to as the Big Two . However, this term did not always refer to Linfield and Glentoran; until 1949, the Big Two consisted of Linfield and Belfast Celtic , for they had traditionally, up to that point, been the two most successful clubs in Northern Irish football. However, after Belfast Celtic withdrew from the league in 1949, Glentoran gradually established itself as Linfield's biggest rival. The earliest recorded match between

4692-575: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Linfield F.C. Linfield Football Club is a Northern Irish professional football club, based in south Belfast , which plays in the NIFL Premiership – the highest level of the Northern Ireland Football League . The fourth-oldest club on the island of Ireland , Linfield was founded in 1886 by workers at

4830-405: Is over'. The goal had come after an uncharacteristic drought at the time. Healy's comments were interpreted by some Scottish and Irish Catholics as a reference to Rangers fans' chant – "'the famine is over, why don't you go home?" Healy claimed to be oblivious that he had offended anyone, saying, "I'm so disappointed and upset that anyone could even try and make this link. And when told about this I

4968-601: Is perhaps best remembered for his performance in the 1913 Irish Cup final, described by some fans as the best in years. McEwan retired in 1916, but remained in Belfast and later opened several businesses in the city. In 1915, the Irish League was suspended as a result of the First World War . In its place, a temporary unofficial league known as the Belfast & District League was set up and ran for four seasons until

5106-473: The 1890–91 first qualifying round , being defeated 5–4 by Nantwich . This was the last season in which Irish clubs entered the competition. Success on the field meant that the club had to accommodate bigger crowds, bringing about a move to Ulsterville Avenue in 1889. In 1890, Bob Milne signed for the club from the Gordon Highlanders . The Scot would soon become a key member of the team, helping

5244-658: The 1999–2000 season however, along with a third consecutive League Cup triumph. The Blues retained the league title the following season , and also won the Charity Shield and the County Antrim Shield. The 2001–02 season saw the club win a cup double, lifting both the Irish Cup and the League Cup. In 2005, the inauguration of the Setanta Cup meant the return of an all-Ireland cup competition for

5382-463: The 2015–16 NIFL Premiership season, Feeney's reign came to an end in October 2015, when he resigned to become assistant manager (and subsequently the manager) of English Football League Two side Newport County . Former Northern Ireland striker and the country's all-time record international goalscorer David Healy was appointed as Feeney's successor, with Andy Todd staying on as Healy's assistant manager. However, in January 2016 Todd also departed

5520-440: The 2016–17 season. The last season in which the two clubs finished as champions and runners-up in either order was 2008–09, and they have not met in a major domestic cup final since 2006, when they contested both the Irish Cup and the League Cup finals. Linfield are regarded as a 'Protestant club' due to them drawing the vast majority of their support from that side of the community. The club has also been regarded as sectarian in

5658-506: The City Cup . The club followed this up the next season by winning a treble including the Irish League, Irish Cup and County Antrim Shield in 1922–23. In 1927, Joe Bambrick signed for the Blues, and would become one of the club's all-time top goal scorers. In the 1929–30 season , Bambrick scored a remarkable 94 goals – a record that surprisingly stood for only one season, until Glentoran's Fred Roberts scored an incredible 96 goals during

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5796-532: The County Antrim Shield . On 25 February, he was given a six-game general ban after being dismissed from the touchline for the third time of the season. Despite this setback, the "Blues" went on to win the league title in 2016–17 , and ended the campaign with a treble after beating Coleraine 3–0 in the final of the Irish Cup . He went on to add the Charity Shield to Linfield's honours with

5934-524: The Irish Cup . In the 2018/19 season, Linfield reclaimed the Irish League title after finishing fourth in the previous season. The curtailed 2019/20 season saw Linfield win the title for a second consecutive season. In the same season, Linfield embarked on a memorable European campaign, marginally losing to Qarabag FK in the UEFA Europa League qualification finals after impressive victories over FK Sutjeska Niksic and Havnar Boltfelag in

6072-582: The Irish League , Irish Cup, County Antrim Shield, Gold Cup, City Cup and the Ulster Cup . They also won the North-South Cup final that season, but it was actually the conclusion of the 1960–61 competition. Fixture congestion had meant that the final could not be played before the end of the previous season, so it was rescheduled to take place during the 1961–62 season. A commemorative event

6210-404: The NIFL Premiership 2022/23 title after a tight title race between the two teams. UEFA Europa League UEFA Europa Conference League 3QR POR Since 1905, Windsor Park in south Belfast has been Linfield's home ground. In the initial years after the club was formed in 1886, Linfield had to change grounds several times for various reasons such as housing development. The numerous ground changes and

6348-697: The Oval , being the next largest. The governing body of Northern Irish football, the Irish Football Association , manages the stadium, while Linfield retains ownership of the land. In 2012, Linfield and the IFA were in talks to agree a new 51-year contract for the use of Windsor Park. The club would receive an annual payment as rent for the IFA to use the ground for the Northern Ireland national football team , but would no longer receive 15% of

6486-477: The Setanta Cup as defending champions when they were narrowly beaten 1–0 at Windsor Park in the semi-finals by eventual winners, Drogheda United . In April 2010, former captain Noel Bailie made his 1,000th appearance for the club when he played in a 0–0 draw against Crusaders in the league. A few days later, Linfield won their 49th league title after a 1–0 home win against Cliftonville. The following year,

6624-619: The Ulster Cricket Ground in Ballynafeigh , with the large crowd celebrating the fact that Linfield had progressed to the second round. However, a few days later the Belfast Telegraph revealed that the 'replay' had actually been played as nothing more than a friendly. Prior to the match, Linfield had conceded the tie after discovering that they had inadvertently fielded an ineligible player, William Johnston, in

6762-552: The Ulster Footballer of the Year award for his performances during his first season at the club. Milburn's presence dramatically increased average crowds at matches, with the Belfast Telegraph calling it the " signing of the century ". Milburn is famous for scoring Linfield's first ever goals in European competition. In September 1959, he scored both goals against IFK Göteborg in a 2–1 Linfield win at Windsor Park in

6900-417: The 121 completed league seasons, the title has been won by either club on 79 occasions. The duo also make up two of the three clubs that have appeared in every season of the Irish League since its inception in 1890; the other club being Cliftonville. Up to and including the 2021–22 season , the two clubs have played each other 281 times in the Irish League since its formation in 1890. Linfield have won 126 of

7038-438: The 1920s, and crowd trouble occasionally marred games involving Linfield throughout the twentieth century. One of the most notable such instances occurred in 1948, at a Boxing Day match between Linfield and Belfast Celtic (a team whose support was largely composed of Catholics and Irish nationalists). Immediately following a 1–1 draw in which Linfield scored in the last minute, there was a pitch invasion by Linfield supporters. In

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7176-486: The 2009 and 2010 fixtures did not take place in the end anyway, as they were both postponed due to bad weather. The fixture returned to the fixture list in 2011, with each club hosting the match in alternate years. Linfield and Glentoran have been the two most successful clubs in Northern Irish football to date, regularly being the two main contenders for the major domestic honours. They have won more league titles, Irish Cups, and League Cups than any other clubs. Linfield hold

7314-470: The 2021–22 season, Linfield's average league home attendance was approximately 2,900, the highest in the division and more than double the league's overall average of around 1,400. The team, nicknamed The Blues , is managed by former Northern Ireland international and the country's all-time record goalscorer, David Healy . Healy was appointed on 14 October 2015 to succeed Warren Feeney , following Feeney's resignation. Domestically, Linfield has been one of

7452-597: The 2021–22 season. Healy was born and raised in Killyleagh, Northern Ireland, and played for Crossgar, Lisburn Youth and Down Academy High School in Downpatrick . He made eight appearances for Manchester United's junior B team in the 1995–96 season and signed for the club as a trainee in June 1996. He made 28 league appearances for the B team in 1996–97 and finished the season as top scorer with 25 goals. He signed as

7590-551: The Balmoral area of the city. However, this was another temporary home. The club stayed here until 1905, when they moved into Windsor Park. The club's first silverware at Windsor arrived in the 1906–07 season, with the club lifting both the league title and the County Antrim Shield . This would be the first of a trio of league titles, with the 1907–08 and 1908–09 league titles to follow. In 1910, team captain Bob Milne left

7728-422: The Blues 2–1 in the 1975–76 Irish Cup final on 10 April 1976. This giant-killing act in which a junior club defeated a senior club in the Irish Cup final had only happened twice before in the cup's history, and not since 1955. The club stuck by Coyle however, and it was not long before he brought silverware to the club. His first honour arrived in the 1976–77 season in the form of the County Antrim Shield. However,

7866-491: The Blues suffered defeat in the Irish Cup final for the third consecutive season when they lost 4–1 against Coleraine. The 1977–78 season saw the club win an Irish League, Irish Cup and Ulster Cup treble. Runners-up in the last three Irish Cup finals, this time they were not to be denied. A 3–1 victory over Ballymena United secured the club's third trophy of the season. Coyle retired from playing duties in 1980, but continued as manager. In 1982, future manager David Jeffrey joined

8004-414: The Blues to lift the Irish Cup at the young age of 20. The club stayed at Ulsterville for five years before housing development on the ground in 1894 meant that the club had to move on once again. Between 1894 and 1897, Linfield played all of their home games at opponents' grounds until the president of the club, Robert Gibson, along with other club members, eventually secured a ground lease at Myrtlefield in

8142-483: The English since 1972. He achieved his 50th cap and 20th international goal against Finland in August 2006, also playing as captain . A month later, on 6 September 2006, Healy became the first man since Colin Clarke to score a hat-trick for Northern Ireland and the first since George Best to do so in Belfast. His three goals gave Northern Ireland a historic 3–2 victory over Spain . Healy followed this feat with

8280-502: The IFA. In February 2013, planning permission for the redevelopment was granted. The cost of the project was estimated to be around £29.2 million, of which £25.2 million would come from government funding. It was initially planned for the work to begin in September 2013. Two months later however, Crusaders began legal proceedings against the redevelopment. The club called for the process to be judicially reviewed, believing it to be against European Union competition laws and also

8418-644: The Irish Football Association, which has launched a campaign called "Give sectarianism the boot." It assisted a local Camogie team who needed space to train in 2005, and also built links with the Gaelic Athletic Association which has traditionally had little support from the Protestant community in Northern Ireland. In 2006 FIFA officially commended Linfield for their anti-racism initiatives. A play dealing with

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8556-500: The Irish League's top division since; a joint world record for the longest continuous membership of a national league's top division. In European football, the club's best finish is the quarter-finals of the 1966–67 European Cup . The club was founded in March 1886 in an area of south Belfast known as Sandy Row by workers at the Ulster Spinning Company's Linfield Mill. Originally known as Linfield Athletic Club,

8694-561: The Northern Ireland Football League Cup by beating Portadown 3–1. The NIFL Premiership title again when to Larne, however, as Linfield finished five points behind them in second place. They also finished as runners-up in the Irish Cup following a 3–1 loss to Cliftonville after extra-time. Healy vowed to use the defeat as motivation for future success. Healy is married to Emma and they have three children: daughters Taylor and Tallulah, and son Jude. He

8832-452: The Oval took place on 8 October 1892, and the first meeting at Windsor Park took place 13 years later on 2 September 1905. During the second World War in 1941, the Oval – including most of Glentoran's assets – was severely damaged in a German aerial bombing raid on the nearby Harland & Wolff shipyard. Glentoran approached Distillery F.C to play at Grosvenor Park , which they did until

8970-407: The Oval was rebuilt with help from other clubs. During this time, Glentoran considered resigning from senior football to become a junior club, but after borrowing kits from Distillery and Crusaders they continued to compete at Grosvenor until 1949. Out of 14 league games at Grosvenor Park however, they were only victorious over Linfield on one occasion. Traditionally, the two clubs play each other in

9108-466: The Twelfth ?" during a pre-season friendly match against Celtic at Craven Cottage . Healy subsequently apologised profusely for any offence he may have caused and signed many autographs for Celtic fans after the game. He remained out of favour with Roy Hodgson, who regarded his signings Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora ahead of Healy in the pecking order. In August 2008, Healy joined Sunderland on

9246-628: The Tyler Cup – 31 major honours in total. Coyle left the club in April 1990. Eric Bowyer was appointed as Coyle's replacement, but it was a relatively unsuccessful reign that only lasted for two years until he was sacked in 1992, with David Jeffrey also leaving the club that year to join Ards . Next into the managerial hot seat was Trevor Anderson , who brought more silverware to the club during his five years in charge between 1992 and 1997, including 2 Irish League titles and 2 Irish Cups. After retiring as

9384-400: The Ulster Spinning Company's Linfield Mill. Since 1905, the club's home ground has been Windsor Park , which is also the home of the Northern Ireland national team and is the largest football stadium in Northern Ireland . They train at Midgley Park which is beside the stadium. The club's badge displays Windsor Castle , in reference to the ground's namesake. Historically, Linfield shared

9522-547: The West Stand of the stadium was sealed off after cracks in the structure were discovered. Construction work related to the stadium redevelopment had been ongoing behind the stand in the weeks prior to the damage, but it was not known if that was directly related. Originally planned for refurbishment as part of the redevelopment, the West Stand was demolished and rebuilt. The redevelopment was completed in October 2016, with an official capacity of 18,434. Linfield's main rival

9660-416: The ban, citing health and safety regulations that forced them to close the away stand. In 2008, three Linfield fans were charged in a Dublin court with public order offences at a Setanta Cup match against St Patrick's Athletic , but were released. The management of Linfield has continually attempted to reverse the stigma of negative press attached to the club. The club has moved forward in co-operation with

9798-412: The boardroom during the game – an apparent reaction to Crusaders' legal challenge of the stadium redevelopment. In a hearing that took place on 22 May 2013, Crusaders' request was granted. It was ruled that it was a possibility for the redevelopment to be classed as state aid towards Linfield. The aspect of the challenge concerning competition law however, was dismissed. In July 2013, Crusaders agreed to

9936-468: The club during the Troubles , which led to a widespread accusation that the club held a historical policy of not signing Catholic players. However, the existence of such a policy has been continually refuted: "Linfield's following has historically been drawn from the Protestant loyalist community, particularly in the greater Belfast area. That is a fact of life which cannot be disputed and, although in

10074-471: The club following a stint in the Manchester United youth team and played for Coyle under many of his trophy successes, captaining the side for much of that time. One of Coyle's biggest achievements as manager was leading the club to six consecutive league titles between 1981–82 and 1986–87 , equalling the record for the most consecutive titles which was set by Belfast Celtic in 1947–48 . 1986

10212-427: The club in a 2–0 home win against Stoke City on 7 February 2009. He managed to score in every competition that Sunderland were entered into in his first season with the club. He was sent out on loan to Ipswich Town during the winter 2010 transfer window along with teammate Daryl Murphy . He made his debut against Middlesbrough on 6 February 2010, helping Ipswich to earn a point by setting up Murphy to score with

10350-563: The club to a NIFL Premiership , Irish Cup and County Antrim Shield treble in 2016–17. The following season proved a disappointment before they secured the league title and the Northern Ireland Football League Cup in 2018–19. They retained the Premiership trophy in 2019–20 and would win another Premiership and Irish Cup double in 2020–21. He then guided Linfield to a fourth consecutive league title in

10488-534: The club to join Newport County and reunite with Warren Feeney, who had subsequently been promoted to County's manager following the departure of John Sheridan . Todd once again became Feeney's assistant manager. Linfield Football Club has scripted a captivating saga in the Northern Irish football scene during the reign of David Healy. Linfield lifted the 2016/17 Irish League title by a marginal 2 points, with Crusaders F.C. coming second. The Blues also won

10626-454: The club with a legacy as one of Linfield's best ever players. He had amassed nine Irish Cups, eight league titles, and had earned 27 international caps for the Ireland national team during his time at the club. Another Scottish player, Marshall McEwan , joined the club in 1911 at the age of 26. He had previously played for English clubs Blackpool , Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea . McEwan

10764-425: The club's desire to have a permanent home with which to build an identity resulted in the purchase of a piece of land known as the 'bog meadows' just off lower Windsor Avenue on 1 October 1904. Later known as Windsor Park, this became the club's permanent home as well as the venue for international matches. The first game at Windsor took place on 29 August 1905, with Linfield playing out a 0–0 draw against Distillery in

10902-578: The club, tying him to the Ibrox club until the end of the 2011–12 season. On 2 January 2012, Healy scored his second goal for the club, again against Motherwell, with the opener of a 3–0 win. His third goal for the club came the following week, when he scored the first of a 4–0 victory over Arbroath in the Scottish Cup . He netted his third league goal of the season for the "Gers" in a 4–0 win over Hibernian on 28 January, and got his fourth goal in

11040-409: The competition for similar reasons, with the next two highest placed sides from the previous season's league table (Ballinamallard United and Coleraine) being drafted in as replacements. In February 2014, Jeffrey announced that he would be stepping down at the end of the 2013–14 season, bringing an end to his trophy-laden reign after 17 years. In March 2014, the Blues lifted the County Antrim Shield for

11178-526: The competition. When the 2014 Setanta Sports Cup was confirmed in December 2013, the club opted not to enter the competition, citing inconvenient fixture scheduling, reduced prize money, and the difficulties faced for Linfield supporters to attend away games as the reasons behind their withdrawal. At the time, the club did not rule out future participation, however, they would never enter the competition again. League champions Cliftonville also withdrew from

11316-583: The competition. Incidentally, Linfield were in fact the reigning all-Ireland champions at the time, having won the final staging of the Tyler Cup in 1980 before the competition was discontinued. The 2005–06 season was the most successful of Jeffrey's tenure, with the Blues achieving a clean sweep of all four domestic competitions; the Irish Premier League , Irish Cup , Irish League Cup , and County Antrim Shield. However, they failed to retain

11454-540: The conflict between Linfield and Belfast Celtic, Lish and Gerry at the Shrine , was staged by the IFA at Windsor Park in October 2010, with the co-operation of the Linfield management. Since 2008, the number of incidents has significantly decreased. However, in February 2014, Linfield were fined £3,000 and Cliftonville were fined £3,250 by the IFA following sectarian chanting from sections of both sets of supporters during

11592-540: The ensuing violence, three Belfast Celtic players were seriously injured, including Protestant striker Jimmy Jones , who was left unconscious and suffered a broken leg. Belfast Celtic subsequently withdrew from the league in protest at the end of the 1948–49 season. In the 1979–80 European Cup , Linfield were drawn to face Dundalk from the Republic of Ireland. In the first leg, which was played in Dundalk and ended in

11730-407: The fans. The referee sent him off, but Healy later explained that he was celebrating towards his family, and that was how he always celebrated when scoring for his then-club, Preston North End. On 7 September 2005, at Windsor Park , Healy secured a famous victory for his country against England in a World Cup qualifier when he scored the only goal of the game. This was his nation's first win over

11868-534: The first Northern Irish team to qualify for the group stages of European competition when they took FK RFS of Latvia to a penalty shoot-out in the play-offs for the UEFA Europa Conference League on 25 August 2022. Linfield won the 2022–23 edition of the Northern Ireland Football League Cup, beating Coleraine 2–0 in the final. They finished second in the Premiership at the end of the 2022–23 season, six points behind Larne. Linfield won

12006-518: The first leg of the 1959–60 European Cup preliminary round tie – the club's European debut. Milburn was also the Irish league's top goal scorer on two occasions before leaving the club in 1960 to join Yiewsley . In 1962, forty years after Linfield's remarkable seven-trophy season, the club repeated the feat in the 1961–62 season under manager Isaac McDowell. They won another seven-trophy haul including

12144-464: The first match. Officials from both clubs had agreed not to reveal this information to the players or the public before the match, in order to play the match as planned. In any case, Linfield would have been unlikely to have played any further part in the cup, as the costs of travelling to Kent to play the second round tie against Chatham at an open ground with no gate income would have been prohibitive. Linfield made their final FA Cup appearance during

12282-439: The first time since 1980. The Blues qualified as league champions , but started the competition poorly – losing 2–1 away to Longford Town . They recovered from that opening defeat to eventually reach the final against Shelbourne , with the Blues being major underdogs going into the match against full-time professional League of Ireland opposition. However, they overcame the odds with a 2–0 victory to become inaugural winners of

12420-459: The following campaign. In 1930, Bambrick scored six goals in one game for Ireland – a 7–0 win over Wales . The 1931–32 , 1933–34 and 1934–35 league titles followed for Linfield, before Bambrick left the club to join Chelsea in 1935 having scored 286 league goals in just 183 games for Linfield – a remarkable ratio of 1.56 goals per game. The Irish League was once again suspended in 1940 as

12558-494: The following match against Ballyclare Comrades in the Floodlit Cup on 7 January. He was officially appointed as manager on a permanent basis on 8 January 1997. In his first full season in charge he led the club to three trophies – the League Cup , County Antrim Shield, and Floodlit Cup – and narrowly missed out on the league title to champions Cliftonville by four points. Jeffrey won his first league title as manager in

12696-499: The funding until the IFA resolved "governance issues" surrounding David Martin's return to the role of deputy president. In December 2013, three months after the work was originally scheduled to begin, the redevelopment was finally given the green light. The sports minister signed off on £31 million to complete the project. The redevelopment finally got under way on 6 May 2014 after the 2013–14 domestic season had finished, eight months later than originally planned. On 31 March 2015,

12834-442: The game. The Northern Ireland Football League condemned the actions of a "small minority" of supporters. David Healy (footballer) David Jonathan Healy MBE (born 5 August 1979) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer and now football manager who is in charge at NIFL Premiership club Linfield . A striker , he is the men's all-time leading scorer for Northern Ireland with 36 goals , and also shared

12972-399: The league on Boxing Day every year, with the match usually attracting the largest attendance of any league match that season. In 2009, the Irish Football Association initially banned the fixture from taking place on Boxing Day for two years due to crowd trouble at Windsor Park. However, this decision was later reversed on appeal, and the fixture returned to the calendar. Ultimately, however,

13110-614: The manner of his departure eight years ago. He made a scoring debut for the "Shakers" on 25 August, converting a penalty in a 2–2 draw with Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena . He was limited to one goal in his 19 games in the 2012–13 campaign as Bury were relegated into League Two . He was one of 16 players released at the end of the season. Unable to find a club after his release and struggling with persistent ankle injuries, Healy announced his retirement from football on 3 December 2013. On 31 July 2014, Healy played for Glenavon in

13248-453: The match 2–0 to progress 3–1 on aggregate. In the 1987–88 campaign , Linfield's home game against Lillestrøm was marred by missile throwing, resulting in UEFA sanctions which meant that the club had to play their next two home games in European competitions at Welsh club Wrexham in 1988–89 and 1989–90 . A 1997 match against Coleraine was abandoned when Linfield fans hurled bottles onto

13386-505: The meetings, with 77 Glentoran victories and 78 drawn matches. Linfield's record victory over their rivals is 8–0. This occurred on 21 November 1891, during the 1891–92 Irish League season. Linfield's record post-war win over Glentoran in all competitions is by a six-goal margin – a 7–1 win over the Glens at Grosvenor Park in the 1961–62 North-South Cup, and a 6–0 victory at Windsor Park in the 2006 Setanta Sports Cup group stage. Since 2009,

13524-478: The most notable rumour reported in the press being a potential £3 million move to Manchester City . He again finished as joint top scorer in the 2005–06 season, both he and Rob Hulse on fourteen goals. Leeds reached the play-off finals this season but lost in the final 3–0 to Watford . During the management of Kevin Blackwell , Healy found himself regularly being played out of position at Leeds, mainly as

13662-406: The most successful Linfield manager in history, winning numerous trophies during his time at Windsor Park. His first season in charge was without silverware. In fact, having been Irish Cup runners-up the previous season when Coleraine defeated the Blues 1–0 after two replays, Linfield suffered one of the biggest upsets in Northern Irish football history when B Division club Carrick Rangers defeated

13800-413: The most successful clubs in the world, holding several national and global records. The club has won 56 league titles , which is more than twice than any other Northern Irish club, and makes Linfield the world's most successful club in terms of national championships won . The club has lifted the Irish Cup 44 times, the second-highest number of national cup wins worldwide. It has also won the League Cup

13938-537: The nation's all-time appearances chart behind goalkeeper Pat Jennings (119), Aaron Hughes (112) and Steve Davis (108). His 36 international goals make him the nation's all-time leading goalscorer by a considerable distance. Healy was appointed manager of NIFL Premiership side Linfield in October 2015, the club he had supported all his life. He steered the "Blues" to a second-place finish in 2015–16 , eight points behind Crusaders . On 7 February 2017, he won his first managerial honour as Linfield beat Crusaders 3–1 in

14076-400: The opening goal as Preston took a 2–0 lead, only to end up losing 3–2. A permanent move was completed on 3 January 2001, as Preston paid Manchester United a fee of £ 1.5 million, before Healy signed a four-and-a-half-year contract . Healy made his debut for Preston against Sheffield United on 30 December 2000; he scored after just four minutes in the 3−2 loss at Bramall Lane . In

14214-519: The passing game in Ireland, where a dribbling based approach had been the norm until around 1890, and for three seasons during the club's early years they competed in the English FA Cup . In the 1888–89 qualifying rounds they defeated Ulster and Bolton Wanderers to reach the fourth qualifying round, where they faced Cliftonville . After two draws, they won 7–0 in the second replay, which

14352-557: The past there have been accusations of sectarian bias such as not signing Roman Catholic players, contrary to opinion and myth, no ban was ever imposed. That even applied in the early stages, during the Second World War and from then there has been a plethora of all creeds and classes wearing the Blue jersey." Malcolm Brodie Sectarian tensions have long been a cause of conflict at football matches in Northern Ireland since

14490-483: The past, both in respect of its alleged employment policy and of the repeated behaviour of its fans. This sectarian reputation is partly the result of the actions of fans who have a history of anti-Catholic behaviour ranging from sectarian chanting on the terraces to outright physical violence. Part of the problem has been attributed to Windsor Park's location in a part of Belfast that was once predominantly Protestant. A relatively small number of local Catholics played for

14628-455: The pitch after two Linfield players were sent off. In May 2005 there were disturbances in Dublin at the Setanta Cup final between Linfield and Shelbourne. In the same month, Linfield fans were banned from travelling to the Oval for a match against Glentoran, allegedly as a result of disturbances involving both sets of fans the previous month. However, Glentoran denied this was the reason behind

14766-494: The quarter-finals after losing 3–2 to eventual runners-up Portadown. In May 2015, the Blues were invited to compete in the Setanta Sports Cup scheduled to take place in June 2015. The club declined once again, with inconvenient fixture scheduling still remaining a concern. The competition was ultimately cancelled, when suitable fixture dates could not be agreed upon. With the Blues top of the table after 10 games of

14904-421: The record for the highest scoring tally during a UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign of 13 goals, shared with Robert Lewandowski , until this was surpassed by Romelu Lukaku . He began his career as a youth team player at Manchester United in 1995, turning professional in 1999, but signed for Preston North End two years later after a short loan spell. He spent three years with Preston, maintaining

15042-415: The record for the most League titles (56), Irish Cups (44), and League Cups (10). In comparison, Glentoran have won 23 league titles, 23 Irish Cups, and 7 League Cups. Almost half (47.2%) of the 142 Irish Cup competitions to date have been won by one of the two clubs, with at least one of the clubs reaching the final on 92 occasions (64.8% of all finals), winning the cup a combined 67 times. Of those 92 finals,

15180-450: The remainder of the 2000–01 season, Healy made 26 appearances for Preston and scored 10 goals. He was a virtual ever-present in the 2001–02 season , appearing in 44 league games and scoring 10 goals. In the 2002–03 season he was less successful after Craig Brown replaced the departed David Moyes . By the end of January 2003 he had made only 23 league appearances but scored five goals. Healy joined Nigel Worthington 's Norwich City on

15318-452: The return of the Irish League in 1919. As this was an unofficial competition, any titles during this time are not counted as Irish League Championships. Linfield won this competition twice, in 1915–16 along with the Irish Cup, and in 1917–18. In the 1921–22 season, the club achieved a clean sweep of all the domestic competitions they entered – the Irish League , Irish Cup, County Antrim Shield, Alhambra Cup, Belfast Charity Cup, Gold Cup and

15456-539: The rivalry has not been as intense as it once was, with the Big Two's domination of the domestic game decreasing as competitiveness across the league has improved. This is partly due to the resurgence of North Belfast derby rivals Cliftonville and Crusaders, and to a lesser extent Coleraine and Glenavon . In 2013 , Cliftonville became the first club other than Linfield or Glentoran to win the league title since Portadown in 2002 . In 2014 , Cliftonville went on to retain

15594-440: The runners-up place, leaving the Blues in third place – a distant 29 points behind the champions. The club went out of the 2013 Setanta Sports Cup after a heavy aggregate defeat in the quarter-finals, went out of the League Cup at the semi-final stage, and exited the Irish Cup in the fifth round after a replay. The club's first Irish Cup defeat in four years was also the first time in 16 years they had lost their opening tie of

15732-456: The sacking of Sanchez, new manager Roy Hodgson preferred a strike partnership of the American pairing of Brian McBride and Eddie Johnson , leaving Healy on the bench. In July 2008, Healy caused controversy when he adopted the posture of a flute player (similar to a previous incident involving Paul Gascoigne ) in response to a question posed by Celtic fans chanting, "Where were you on

15870-498: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Linfield . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Linfield&oldid=1155157956 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Disambiguation pages with surname-holder lists English-language surnames Hidden categories: Short description

16008-415: The season, the Blues had to settle for the runners-up spot, six points behind champions Cliftonville. Jeffrey's reign came to a winning end with a 5–2 victory over Glenavon on the final day of the 2013–14 league season. Former Northern Ireland international Warren Feeney succeeded Jeffrey as Linfield manager. Feeney had been player-assistant manager at English Conference Premier side Salisbury City at

16146-460: The second successive season, behind champions Crusaders. One positive for the season was the team's record in the four "Big Two" league derbies against Glentoran, of which the Blues won three and drew the other. The lowest point of the season for the team was undoubtedly a shock 1–0 loss against second-tier side Ballyclare Comrades in the second round of the 2014–15 League Cup , while their 2014–15 Irish Cup campaign ended when they were eliminated in

16284-429: The semi-finals and quarter-finals respectively. The 2020/21 season (in which Northern Irish football fully returned from COVID-19), saw Coleraine and Glentoran emerge as their primary rivals for the title. In the end, Linfield acquired their third title in a row. They also secured their forty-fourth Irish Cup. In the 2021/22 season Cliftonville stood as formidable adversaries for the championship, and it all came down to

16422-519: The sixth time in seven seasons – a record 51st league title, 42nd Irish Cup win, and 23rd double overall. The 2012–13 season was undoubtedly a low ebb for the club under Jeffrey's reign. The Blues were off the pace for most of the league campaign – their season encapsulated in a 3–1 home defeat by newly promoted Ballinamallard United in October 2012. Cliftonville were the eventual champions, securing their fourth league title after defeating Linfield 3–2 at Solitude on 13 April 2013. Crusaders secured

16560-515: The stadium, to increase capacity and improve safety. The following year, the Northern Ireland Executive allocated £138 million for a major programme of stadium redevelopment throughout Northern Ireland, with £28 million allocated to the redevelopment of Windsor Park. In June 2012, further details of the stadium's redevelopment were released. The plan was to redevelop Windsor Park into an 18,000 all-seater stadium with

16698-478: The team initially played on an area of land located at the back of the mill owned by the company, which was known as the Meadow. Originally, the club had intended to have a rule in place to limit membership to employees of the mill only. However, this idea was quickly scrapped to allow for the strongest team possible, with six of the club's first eleven players being non-employees. Linfield was credited with originating

16836-485: The ticket sales, TV rights, and commercial rights from international matches as they did under the old agreement. The 51-year agreement took effect from May 2014, with Linfield receiving an annual payment of £200,000 - subject to review (being adjusted for inflation etc.) every four years. This was increased to £214,000 per year in 2018, and due to increase again in 2022. The contract will expire in 2065. In 2010, UEFA provided €500,000 towards substantial refurbishment of

16974-405: The time of his appointment. His cousin, Lee Feeney , played for Linfield in two spells between 1997–1999 and 2002–2003. Former Blackburn Rovers player, Andy Todd , was appointed as Feeney's assistant. Feeney's only full season in charge of the club ended without silverware. The Blues challenged for the league title for most of the season, but ultimately had to settle for the runners-up spot for

17112-462: The title for the first time in their history, with Crusaders then winning the 2014–15 title in convincing fashion, finishing 10 points ahead of runners-up Linfield. During this time, Glentoran lifted the Irish Cup in 2013 , 2015 and 2020 , however the club has gone 13 years without a league title, winning only three titles since the turn of the 21st century; in 2002–03 , 2004–05 and 2008–09 . Since then, they have finished as low as ninth place in

17250-450: The two clubs have met in 15 of them – making it the most common final. Linfield have won eight of the head-to-head final meetings compared to Glentoran's seven wins, with the most recent meeting between the two clubs in the final occurring in 2006 , when Linfield won 2–1 to lift the Cup for the 37th time. Almost two-thirds (65.3%) of all Irish League titles have been won by one of the Big Two. Of

17388-523: The two clubs was played on 1 October 1887 – just over a year after Linfield's formation. A friendly match played at King's Field, Westbourne in Ballymacarrett was won 3–1 by Linfield (then known as Linfield Athletic). In 1890, the two teams played each other competitively for the first time, during the inaugural Irish League season . Linfield won 7–0 at Musgrave Park on 18 October, and 6–0 at Ulsterville Avenue on 21 March 1891. The first meeting at

17526-479: The winner against Latvia on 11 October 2006. In the following international game, against Liechtenstein , he scored a second hat-trick, thus becoming the first player ever to score two hat-tricks for Northern Ireland. He scored both of Northern Ireland's goals in a 2–1 win against Sweden on 28 March 2007, and two more against Liechtenstein on 22 August, followed by a penalty away to Iceland on 12 September. On 17 November 2007, when he scored against Denmark, it

17664-510: The wire. The Blues clinched the title by a razor-thin one-point margin and remained champions for the fourth season in a row. Linfield came agonisingly close to reaching the UEFA Conference League proper in the 2022/23 season after losing to FK RFS in the qualification finals. However, the team exhibited a commendable performance throughout this European campaign. In the domestic league a revamped Larne squad beat Linfield to

17802-493: Was also named as the NI Football Awards manager of the year for the third time. Despite securing a fourth consecutive title at the end of the 2021–22 season, Healy stated that he had "never quite won the supporters over" and that online abuse was starting to affect his family. He was named as Manager of the Year for the fourth time at the annual Northern Ireland Football Awards. Linfield came close to becoming

17940-442: Was given the club's Player of the Year award for this feat. Aiming for a move away from Deepdale , Healy got his wish in October 2004, as he was signed by Leeds United for a £650,000 fee. In his first season at Leeds he was the club's joint top scorer alongside Brian Deane with seven goals, despite only joining Leeds halfway through the season. During his time at Elland Road he was linked with dozens of moves to other clubs,

18078-455: Was held in April 2012, celebrating the 90th and 50th anniversaries of the 1921–22 and 1961–62 seven-trophy-winning teams. Following a spell in England playing for Sheffield Wednesday and Grimsby Town , Roy Coyle joined the club as player-manager, taking over the reins from outgoing manager Billy Campbell . After a tough start to his managerial career at the club, Coyle went on to become

18216-568: Was his 13th goal in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group F tournament (in eleven games). This made him the highest-ever goalscorer in a qualifying campaign for the UEFA European Championship . The previous record of twelve goals in ten games had been set by Davor Šuker of Croatia in 1996. As a result, Healy was presented with the award by Michel Platini , who quoted: "David Healy's record goes down in history and he beat

18354-417: Was included in the Manchester United squad for their Champions League second group stage match against Panathinaikos on 21 November 2000. However, he did not come off the bench. A week later, he made his second appearance for the club away to Sunderland , again in the League Cup; with the score at 1–1 early in extra time, Healy came on for Luke Chadwick , and hit the crossbar, but Sunderland were able to find

18492-497: Was looking to strengthen the first-team in the summer, saying that "we're not just going to be bringing in players for the sake of making up the numbers, we're going to be bringing in players who will be challenging for a starting berth". The 2019–20 season was ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland , and Linfield were crowned champions after finishing ahead of Coleraine on points per game. Healy said that it

18630-531: Was played on 25 December 1888. This is notable for being the only FA Cup match ever to be played on Christmas Day . This victory meant they qualified for the first round proper for the first and only time, where they were drawn to face Nottingham Forest in what would turn out to be a controversial tie. Linfield had earned an impressive 2–2 draw in Nottingham , which meant a replay back in Belfast. In an apparent cup upset, Linfield then defeated Forest 3–1 at

18768-525: Was the year that Noel Bailie began what would turn out to be a 25-year career at the club. Although a defender for most of that time, Bailie began as a left midfielder. Coyle's final trophy as Linfield manager was the Gold Cup in 1989–90. During his 15 years at the club he had amassed 10 League titles, 3 Irish Cups, 7 Gold Cups, 4 Ulster Cups, 5 County Antrim Shields, the Irish League Cup, and

18906-489: Was totally bemused." Despite finding a new club, Healy was left out of the Northern Ireland squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 2012 by new manager Michael O'Neill . On 14 November 2012, he marked his return to international duty with an equalising goal from the bench against Azerbaijan – it was his first international goal in four years. He won a total of 95 senior caps, making him Northern Ireland's third most capped outfield player and fourth overall in

19044-421: Was unfortunate that they were unable to secure the title on the pitch but was pleased that they were "rightly crowned champions". Linfield retained the league title in the 2020–21 campaign and on 21 May, Healy won his second Irish Cup when his Linfield side defeated Larne 2–1. He was linked with a move to Irish club Dundalk and stated that "I certainly don't want outstay my welcome [at Linfield]". Healy

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