Linfield's Disappointing Second Half
Linfield manager David Healy was unimpressed with his team's performance in the second half of their recent encounter against Ballymena United. 'The first half we were well in the game and should have at least been level with the amount of play, bits and pieces that we had in and around,' he said. However, Healy noted a significant drop-off in his team's performance during the second period: 'Second half we self-destruct. Individually, collectively we were poor.' The manager was particularly frustrated after Ballymena United scored their second goal, which seemed to demoralize Linfield further. '[After] second goal, we looked beat and that was more frustrating for me,' he added.
Ballymena United's Manager Reflects on the Win
Ballymena United’s manager Oran Kearney was pleased with his team's pre-season preparation and their performance in the match. 'The lads have come in to pre-season and it's been a brilliant six weeks that they've put together,' he said, highlighting the strong start his players had made. Kearney also emphasized the importance of maintaining focus: 'Players and staff, we're all in this long enough to know that it's one game out of 38 so for us it's about enjoying a win against a tough team and a very tough place to come.' Despite securing an important victory, Kearney was pragmatic about the situation: 'Ideally we'll get the weekend past us, get back into work and get ready for next week. Sadly it's as simple and as boring as that.'
