Irish Cup final: Cliftonville v Linfield decider 90 years in the making

While Cliftonville have had Irish Cup pain, the same can’t be said for David Healy and Linfield.

The Blues have triumphed on an unmatched 44 occasions, with Healy masterminding two of those in 2017 and 2021.

After the disappointment of missing out on the Irish Premiership title, the Blues’ focus has turned to the Windsor Park decider.

And given their 2021 success was in front of a Covid-restricted crowd, they will be wanting to make sure the entire Blues’ support can enjoy their day in the sun.

Linfield already won the League Cup in March and will be looking to do the double, which wouldn’t be a bad consolation for missing out on the Gibson Cup.

“We’ve experienced players in the dressing room and players who have been in this situation before, so you don’t want to build it up too much and it gets to the end of the week and everyone is freaking out,” Healy said.

“There will be suits and the pre-match and whatever else, but the thing for me is we’ve been to numerous cup finals so we will prepare like any other game and the experienced players will make sure the younger players are cool and calm.

“Cliftonville haven’t won since 1979, they have been disappointed with two or three finals somewhere along the line they’ll win one but we need to make sure it’s not 2024. “