A setback but not a disaster, but still a hard one to take.
Having worked so hard to get so close to the top of the table, a win at Solitude would have sent them there, Linfield now have to work twice as hard to get as close again over the next few weeks.
It wasn’t a game they deserved to lose, far from it, but just against Coleraine the previous week, they learnt the hard way that you can have as much of the ball as you want, but you have to put it in the net.
Linfield’s results against fellow Top 6 clubs, though improved in recent weeks, needs to improve. Just one goal from six games against Cliftonville, Coleraine and Crusaders tells it’s own story.
In five of those games, it’s not as if there wasn’t enough chances to score.
Within twelve seconds, Linfield were straight on the attack with Matthew Clarke getting into a crossing position, but Cameron Palmer committed a foul trying to get on the end of it.
Linfield’s good start continued with a shot from Daniel Finlayson. There was never a danger of a goal, but Linfield were making use of their time in Cliftonville’s final third.
With ten minutes played, Cliftonville made a far better use of their time in the opposition final third when a quick pass and move set up Ronan Doherty to finish low from just inside the box.
Sat behind the goal, it was in as soon as he hit it. Unfortunately I had a great view of it.
Not quite out of nothing or against the run of play, but it certainly wasn’t a goal that Cliftonville were threatening.
It was a goal that knocked Linfield off their stride. Thankfully for Linfield, Cliftonville weren’t really threatening to kick on and take advantage of it.
As the half neared it’s end, Linfield finally managed a clear strike on goal when Daniel Finlayson created space for himself just outside the box and hit a shot which beat the keeper with the help of a deflection.
Unfortunately, it also beat the post. This just a few minutes after Joel Cooper had a penalty appeal turned down. Hard to see from where I was, but looked one on the TV replays.
1-0 down at half-time but no need to panic. You always feel confident of getting the goal or goals you need when Linfield are attacking their own fans.
It looked like that was going to come when Daniel Finlayson was found in space but his cross was blocked, bringing a premature end to a promising attack.
Joel Cooper then had Linfield’s best attacking moment when his low effort was superbly turned around the post.
Stood behind the goal, it looked like it was going in all the way, which made it even more agonising.
From the resulting corner, Daniel Finlayson then had a header cleared off the line.
Unsurprisingly, David Healy turned to his bench, bringing on Jordan Stewart and Chris McKee for Cameron Palmer and Eetu Vertainen.
Inside a minute of those changes, Joel Cooper had a shot deflected wide.
It was already looking like “One of those nights”. You always try to be positive, but deep down you knew it was one of tjhose nights.
But Linfield were creating chances and moments, but they needed to take one.
If they did, there was still time to win the game, although you would have happily taken a draw at this point.
One more change, with Ethan Devine coming on for Mike Newberry, in the hope that he could recreate his equaliser at Solitude in January 2022.
With each passing minute, that was looking more unlikely. Nobody said it out loud, but deep down we knew that everything was falling Cliftonville’s way.
When a tackle from Kris Lowe stopped Chris Shields from advancing forward for one last attack, even at the cost of a throw-in, it was celebrated louder that the goal.
It was a matchwinning tackle, they knew it was their night.
Linfield had more than enough chances to win the game, but couldn’t take them against opposition who were happy to frustrate once they had a 1-0 lead to defend.
Opponents who seemed to require medical treatment at every break in play, emboldened by a Referee unwilling to play adequate amounts of injury time, or even attempt to get play restarted.
Although, Linfield could have helped themselves by being a bit smarter, getting a ball onto the pitch as quickly as possible and putting the officials under pressure to get the game restarted as quickly as possible when there was a stoppage.
A setback but not a disaster, there is still plenty of time to recover from this.
Such is the quickfire nature of this League, the picture can change within a few matchdays.
Onto Lurgan.
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