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BBC News
19-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Fantastic achievement' for Linfield to win title
Linfield chairman Roy McGivern says it is a "fantastic achievement" for the club to win the Irish Premiership title with six matches Blues secured their 57th Gibson Cup on Tuesday after nearest challengers Glentoran were held to a 2-2 draw by admitted it felt "a bit strange" not winning the title on the pitch but said there would be a "huge trophy presentation" at Windsor Park for fans to celebrate. "We'll savour the success, it's been a very sweet one," McGivern told Good Morning Ulster. "We haven't won the league for the past two seasons and there are massive expectations at Linfield. "Huge credit to our manager David Healy, the staff and the players for this remarkable success."How Linfield regained the Gibson Cup in dominant fashionLinfield's success ends the two-year run of Larne holding the Gibson Cup, and McGivern says his team want to "emulate" their rival's success by qualifying for European made history this season by becoming the first Irish Premiership team to reach the Uefa Conference League."There's no doubt when you reach the league phase of one of the European competitions then that is a massive challenge," McGivern said."I think we'll all learn from what has happened at Larne this season. From our point of view, I think you need to be playing domestic games as well as European games, but you have to balance your squad, a strong squad and invest in that squad. "We'll embrace that challenge next year and try to emulate what Larne have achieved. "It will be very hard getting through a number of qualifying games, but that's the challenge we face at Linfield."
BBC News
03-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Derry City 'harshly done by' in St Pat's loss
Derry City manager Tiernan Lynch thought refeering decisions "completely changed the outcome" of his side's loss to St Patrick's Athletic on Monday visitors to Richmond Park were beaten 2-0 as Aidan Keena converted a penalty in each half and also were recduced to 10 men less than a minute into the second half when Carl Winchester was dismissed for a tackle on Mason Melia. "It's better that I don't elaborate on the red card or the two penalty decisions," said Lynch."I thought that we were very harshly done by."I thought decisions in the game that went against us completely changed the outcome."Derry made headlines in the off-season with the signings of Northern Ireland internationals Liam Boyce, Gavin Whyte, Shane Ferguson and the Candystripes have taken just three points from their first four games this season and sit second from bottom in the League of Ireland Premier Division. 'There's too many quality players in that changing room' Lynch, who replaced Ruaidhri Higgins as Derry City boss in November, endured a similarly slow start to his reign at Larne before going on to win back-to-back Irish Premiership and leading the Inver Reds to the league phase of the Uefa Conference League."I've been here before. I'm big enough and ugly enough to work my through this. "I think there's too many quality players in that changing room. It can't last."The former Glentoran assistant added, however, that nobody at the club was "shying away" from their poor start."At Derry City, every game you have to win, that's how I look at it."Regardless of how you play, decisions that go against you, that's not good enough."We're fully aware, we're not shying away, we face things head on."
