David Healy hopes Linfield’s Boxing Day blowout at The Oval breathes new life into the champions’ title defence heading into the New Year.
The Big Two giants were condemned to their fifth league loss of the campaign and dropped to second in the table after Thursday’s 3-0 derby day defeat at rivals Glentoran.
The Blues still boast a game on hand on leaders Cliftonville, but Healy accepts there’s little or no room for error approaching the business end of the season.
Ahead of Saturday’s trip to third-placed Coleraine, he said: “The players are disappointed after Boxing Day, but sometimes you’ve got to experience these things.
“Sometimes you have to be in the bottom of the pit like we were on Thursday to appreciate the good times and the good results.
“There are still a lot of points to play for and the next three or four games could see a lot of big teams drop points.
“The league has been up and down and everybody can beat everybody else, but we need to make sure we’re on the right end of a result on Saturday.”
Coleraine head into the weekend tussle between second and third on the back of a 2-0 Boxing Day win over derby rivals Ballymena United.
It was a timely triumph for the Bannsiders who had taken just two points from their previous four outings in the Danske Bank Premiership.
Healy said: “It’s not ideal playing another away game 48 hours later and it’s another tough test, but having a game so quickly gives the players an opportunity to respond.
“We will probably refresh the team and hopefully we can regroup and come back with a better result.
“It could come down to who makes the fewest mistakes and who is more clinical in front of goal. Whoever does that will probably win the game.”
SATURDAY’S FIXTURES: Coleraine v Linfield; Crusaders v Dungannon Swifts; Glenavon v Warrenpoint Town; Glentoran v Ballymena United; Institute v Carrick Rangers; Larne v Cliftonville.
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