Former Rangers striker David Healy’s Linfield side were dumped out of the Irish Cup by Queen’s University on Saturday afternoon, in one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s history.
40-year-old Healy, who won the League and League Cup titles during a season-long stint at Rangers between 2011 and 2012, has been in charge of the Belfast club since 2015.
Since then, he’s ushered in a period of success, including two Premiership titles and Irish Cup, League Cup and County Antrim Shield wins.
At the start of this season, the Blues narrowly missed out on becoming the first Northern Irish club to reach the Europa League group stages, when they lost to Qarabag of Azerbaijan on goal difference in the play-off round.
However, those lofty heights looked a long way off on Saturday, when they lost 2-1 to Queen’s University at the Dub.
The home side held a 1-0 lead at the interval courtesy of a Marc McKenna strike, but Northern Ireland international Shayne Lavery equalised for Linfield shortly after the break.
The reigning Premiership champions would have been expected to take control thereafter, but after a handball in the area, Queen’s player Jonah Mitchell converted a 76th-minute penalty which proved enough to secure their passage to the next round.
“Really disappointed with it,” Healy told Linfieldfc.com after the match. “Disappointed for the football club, for the supporters…embarrassed. We didn’t do enough today.”
This shock defeat means it’s now only one win in the last five games for Linfield, with the ex-Gers forward’s future coming under increasing scrutiny.
Given the affiliation between the Gers and the Blues, plenty of Bears will be hoping the Belfast club’s fortunes improve soon, with a third league win in four seasons now the sole aim of the campaign.
