Former Rangers striker David Healy missed the chance to continue his quest for a third double in charge of Linfield as the side were beaten 2-0 by Larne in the Irish Cup on Friday evening.
Healy has won the league and cup double twice, in 2016/17 and 2020/21, and with the team sitting in a solid position to make a challenge for the title this season, hopes were high of making it back-to-back doubles.
Larne’s January signing Lee Bonis proved to the scrouge as he scored twice to send Linfield packing and end their Irish Cup defence at the second hurdle
David Healy misses out on a third double with Linfield
In a repeat of last year’s final, in which Linfield won 2-1, the hopes were high that they could progress into the quarter-finals.
A lively match saw chances for both teams, although it proved to be a match decided by January signings as Bonis scored a double whereas the likes of Chris McKee and Jake Hastie, both Rangers’ loanees, failed to have any impact on the match as substitutes.
Linfield and Healy will have to turn their attention to the league title following the defeat and they currently sit two points behind Glentoran as the quest for four in a row continues.
The former Gers striker has been in charge of Linfield since 2015 and has overseen a successful period at the club.
Although his spell at the Ibrox side was relatively short-lived, he played a small part in the second half of the 2010/11 season as the side retained their league title.
His goalscoring exploits for Northern Ireland are unlikely to be matched anytime soon and he has made the transition from player to manager with ease.
Hopefully, the side can put the cup defeat behind them and continue their impressive form in the league.
In other news, the return of Alfredo Morelos to Rangers can ignite the spark that has been missing in the previous two matches.
