Europa Conference League: Linfield boss David Healy aiming for what he felt was impossible

Linfield manager David Healy is aiming to achieve something he previously thought was impossible by leading his side into a European group stage.

A win would see Linfield become the first Irish League team to reach a group stage and, given the huge financial windfall that would bring, Healy said the match could be one of the biggest in the club’s history.

“Possibly not,” the former Northern Ireland striker said when asked if he thought reaching a European group stage would have been possible when he first took over at Windsor Park in 2015.

“We were part-time then and the league wasn’t in the place that it is in now, which is a credit to the other clubs and the owners and the chairmen, as well as the people at NIFL who have made huge improvements to the league during the time that I have been here.

“We always hoped for it [qualification for a group stage], we always aimed for it and we came close a few years ago when we lost on away goals to Qarabag. Now we want to go to the next step.

“I would be the proudest man in world football if the players delivered a performance and result.”

‘One of the biggest nights in Linfield’s history’

RFS missed a penalty and a number of good chances in the opening half hour of the first leg, with the Blues growing into the game and taking a two-goal lead through fine strikes from Stephen Fallon and Joel Cooper.

However, goals in the 88th and 95th minutes from the Latvians have left the tie delicately poised at 2-2.

With a financial windfall of 2.9m euro on offer for making the group stage, Healy did not shy away from the magnitude of Thursday night and how huge an occasion it could be for Linfield.

“In terms of the stature and where it puts you, yes,” he said when asked if it will be one of the biggest occasions in the club’s history.

“It is going to be a huge game, there is going to be a huge atmosphere, I can sense it. We have had big nights at Windsor before in the last number of years and if the crowd really believe that we can win, I know the players can – and I certainly believe that we can win the game.

“The club have their own budgets and we set standards in what we want to pay, but the European money is greatly appreciated, that is for sure.

“We are in our second year – the infancy – of trying to progress our full-time model that was set up by the people at the top end of the club. Financially, of course, like any new business if you are given a windfall it gives you an opportunity to keep trying to improve it. That is key.

“It would also mean a great deal to the supporters, it would give them great satisfaction. There is obviously rivalry between Irish League fans and it is not a bravado thing that we want to be the first [to qualify for the group stage]. Of course we do.

“Hopefully come 10 o’clock on Thursday night we are the team, supporters and staff celebrating an incredible achievement together.”

Healy warns of RFS counter-attack

Healy had warned before the first leg in Riga that the strength and physicality of RFS was something Linfield had to cope with, and they proved that with the first goal they scored from a corner.

Ahead of Thursday’s second leg, Healy, who will take charge of his 350th match in charge of Linfield, said his side will not be over-cautious, but that they need to be wary of the visitors’ counter-attacks.

“We’ll need to take care of set-plays, we will need to be better and we will need to be tighter,” he explained.

“They will be dangerous on the counter-attack. They play with the two wide players who don’t always track back. We will need to be wary that we are not emptying the middle of the pitch or that our full-backs are playing too high, without sounding like we are going to play cautiously, because we won’t.

“We will put the squeeze on, try and get the ball back and put pressure on them high up the pitch. Something that our players have been good at is managing the game by themselves. We have got good experience in there and we expect those players, who have been in the trenches before, to come out fighting. I am sure they will.”

Healy added that key defender Jimmy Callacher could return to the squad following an injury while Jordan Stewart and Niall Quinn are in contention. However Conor Pepper is injured and will miss the second leg.

Asked about what a win would mean for Healy’s place in the history of Linfield managers, he was philosophical in his response.

“When I first took the job, I spoke to David Jeffrey and described my role as wanting to make an already successful football club successful again. Linfield have always had somebody better.

“I will never be here as long as David Jeffrey or Roy Coyle, and I’m never going to have the same success that they had in terms of the huge collection of trophies that they have.

“Do I feel privileged and honoured? Absolutely, every day I am privileged to still be Linfield manager. To be given the opportunity now to have a full-time team, we now have this opportunity to qualify and we want to grasp that.”