Goal hero Jordan Stewart believes Linfield proved the doubters wrong with Saturday's impressive 1-0 win over table-topping Cliftonville at Windsor Park.
Having gone three games without a win in all competitions, the title holders responded with a performance of pace, power and passion, garnished with moments of sheer magic.
It was Stewart who produced the game’s outstanding moment just after the interval when he headed home a brilliant cross from the left by the impressive Ahmed Salam.
The Blues should have been out of sight – Christy Manzinga missed two glorious chances while Jimmy Callacher’s header thumped the crossbar – by the time Paddy McLaughlin’s boys went for broke in the last quarter.
If substitute Paul O’Neill had got more on a Levi Ives corner kick late on – his header fizzed inches wide – the Reds may well have nicked a point.
“No team wants to lose back-to-back games, but it’s how you react to those defeats – it’s all about bouncing back,” said Stewart. “I know people were questioning us, but that didn’t even come into our thinking.
“It’s a long season, nothing is won or lost at this stage. No team can sustain winning formula every week – there will all have highs and lows.
“Unfortunately, we were eliminated from the League Cup (by Ballymena United) which was disappointing.
"I thought we performed well at Seaview against Crusaders last week, but we still lost the game.
"We couldn’t afford to brood over it or feel sorry for ourselves. We had to move on and we did that against Cliftonville.”
Stewart was thrilled to have made the vital contribution to the game.
“I was due a goal - that’s only my fourth this season,” he said. “The chances have been falling to me, I’ve had about five shots cleared off the line in the last two or three weeks.
“It was important to score in this big game. Hopefully, it will set me up no to go on a little scoring run.”
Stewart was quick to salute the part Salam played in his goal, adding; “Ahmed has been brilliant in training, and he had to be patient in terms of waiting on his chance to get into the side, I thought he was superb.
“Hopefully, that will stand him in good stead, and he can now get a run of games to show what he is all about. There is certainly a good player in there.”
Reds boss Paddy McLaughlin is adamant his boys deserved something from the game.
“We came here to win the game,” he said. “Yes, I’m disappointed with the result, but the work rate and the desire from my players was absolutely fantastic. I’ve no complaints at all with the performance.
“We just needed a little bit of quality or a wee bit of luck in the final third. We had two great chances, both from headers. On another day we could have been coming away with a point.”
