PHOTO DIARY OF A FOOTBALL SEASON: MAY/JUNE

My football watching in 2021-2022 didn’t end with Linfield’s title win in April.

It continued on through into May and June, albeit in limited form

I went away to Edinburgh in early May for a weekend trip.

It would have been rude not to take in a football match while I was there, which is what I did, Livingston v St Johnstone.

While I was in Scotland, I also made a visit to Cathkin Park, an abandoned football stadium in Glasgow.

The season ended with two of Northern Ireland’s Nations League matches, against Greece and Cyprus, the less said about, the better.

Livingston v St Johnstone

Livingston v St Johnstone Photo Album

Cathkin Park

Cathkin Park Photo Album

Northern Ireland v Greece

Northern Ireland v Greece Photo Album

Northern Ireland v Cyprus

Northern Ireland v Cyprus Photo Album

PHOTO DIARY OF A FOOTBALL SEASON : APRIL

This is it, the title run-in.

I was there, getting photos of Linfield’s last five games of the season, against Cliftonville, Glentoran, Crusaders, Larne and Coleraine.

It had a happy ending, as Linfield won the League. I managed to get some photos of the celebrations.

Cliftonville v Linfield

Linfield v Glentoran

Crusaders v Linfield

Linfield v Larne

Linfield v Coleraine

Linfield v Coleraine Photo Album

PHOTO DIARY OF A FOOTBALL SEASON : MARCH

March’s football watching began with a trip to see Linfield labour to a narrow win over Carrick Rangers.

The following weekend, that was followed by another laboured win, this time at home to Crusaders with a dramatic injury time winner.

That was followed by a more comfortable home win, against Dungannon Swifts.

Then is was a road trip on a beautiful sunny. The weather didn’t match the football, but Linfield did manage to scrape a late win away to Warrenpoint.

The month saw me make a return to watching Northern Ireland, in a new location in the Railway Stand, for the friendly against Hungary.

Carrick Rangers v Linfield

Linfield v Crusaders

Linfield v Dungannon Swifts

Warrenpoint Town v Linfield

Northern Ireland v Hungary

Northern Ireland v Hungary Photo Album

PHOTO DIARY OF A FOOTBALL SEASON : FEBRUARY

February’s football watching began at Inver Park to see Linfield crash out of the Irish Cup. The less said about that, the better.

Four days later, and it was to Windsor Park, to see Linfield have a much better result against Larne.

Although that was followed up three days later with a defeat at The Oval.

My last football match of the month was to see Linfield scrape a win at home to Portadown.

Larne v Linfield

Linfield v Larne

Glentoran v Linfield

Linfield v Portadown

PHOTO DIARY OF A FOOTBALL SEASON : DECEMBER

It was hoped that December’s football watching would begin at Lansdowne Road, but I had to make do with Coleraine Showgrounds. It doesn’t really matter where you watch your football as long as you’re watching Linfield win.

Although, Linfield did undo that with a draw at home to Warrenpoint Town the following Saturday.

And then, they made up for it by beating Larne away for the first time since 2008, and then beat Ballymena United to go top for the first time all season.

Before undoing that by drawing at home to Glentoran on Boxing Day.

Coleraine v Linfield

Linfield v Warrenpoint Town

Larne v Linfield

Linfield v Ballymena United

Linfield v Glentoran

PHOTO DIARY OF A FOOTBALL SEASON : NOVEMBER

November 2021 was a mixed bad for Linfield with away trips, to Portadown, Crusaders and Glenavon.

Oh, and there was a home match against Cliftonville sandwiched inbetween that, before a midweek home match against Carrick Rangers on the last day of the month.

Portadown v Linfield

Crusaders v Linfield

Linfield v Cliftonville

Glenavon v Linfield

Linfield v Carrick Rangers

PHOTO DIARY OF A FOOTBALL SEASON : OCTOBER

October’s football watching began with a trip to Windsor Park to see Linfield take on Cliftonville on the very first day of the month.

I was back at Windsor Park the following Saturday to see Linfield take on Carrick Rangers.

That was then followed by two road trips, to Warrenpoint and Larne for two Linfield matches.

The month ended where it began, at Windsor Park to see Linfield take on Dungannon Swifts.

Linfield v Cliftonville

Linfield v Carrick Rangers

Warrenpoint Town v Linfield

Larne v Linfield

Linfield v Dungannon Swifts

PHOTO DIARY OF A FOOTBALL SEASON : SEPTEMBER

Due to matches being postponed due to International Call-Ups, September’s football watching took a while to get going, having to wait until the middle of the month for my first match, Linfield’s trip to Portadown.

For me, like a lot of others, it was a first away trip since March 2020.

It was, eventually, an enjoyable trip with Linfield winning 3-2.

That was then followed by a home match against Coleraine, and trips to Glenavon and Glentoran.

Portadown v Linfield

Linfield v Coleraine

Glenavon v Linfield

Glentoran v Linfield

PHOTO DIARY OF A FOOTBALL SEASON : AUGUST

August’s football watching began with Linfield in Europe. Yay, but not for long after defeat to Fola Esch.

The following week, I was at Old Trafford for the first time since January 2020 to see United take on Leeds.

Finally, the new Irish League season began at the end of the month, with Linfield taking on Crusaders.

Linfield v Fola Esch

Manchester United v Leeds United

Manchester United v Leeds United Photo Album

Linfield v Crusaders

PHOTO DIARY OF A FOOTBALL SEASON : JULY

My 2021-2022 should have been beginning at the end of June 2021. Well, as long as I could blag a ticket for Winner Group C v Runner-Up Group F

In the Summer of 2019, I booked a trip to Bray for a few days (Then rebooked for June 2021 when Euro 2020 got put back a year) to base myself there to head to Lansdowne Road to try and blag a ticket for a European Championship Last 16 game which turned out to be England v Germany.

As you know now, that match ended up being moved to Wembley.

Eventually, my season began how I normally hope to begin it, with Linfield in the European Cup, but the result I wanted to start the season with, a 2-1 defeat to Zalgiris Vilnius, 5-2 on aggregate.

Even more frustratingly, if it wasn’t for the Travel Restrictions at the time, I would have been tempted to go to Vilnius for the first leg having visited the city in 2019.

That result meant that Linfield dropped into the Euro Conference League, the first ever season, so naturally I was back at Windsor Park for the first leg of the tie against Borac Banja Luka.

Linfield v Zalgiris Vilnius

Linfield v Borac Banja Luka