Blues run the game in Belfast
Monday, April 28, 2008
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With the league and League Cup won, Linfield FC have an eye on a treble ─ and indeed a triple double ─ in this weekend's cup final in Northern Ireland.
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Linfield FC completed a hat-trick of Northern Irish league titles on Saturday, finishing three points clear of arch-rivals Glentoran FC as the race technically went down to the final round of games. It is the first time any club has won more than two titles in a row since Linfield claimed six successive championships from 1982 to 1987. However, David Jeffrey's men have history of another sort in their sights this Saturday with the Irish Cup final against Coleraine FC.
Triple double
Linfield landed both the league and the cup in the preceding two seasons, so are aiming for a triple double, for the first time in more than a century. Surprise, surprise, it was them who first achieved that remarkable feat, when they won their first three championships and first three Irish Cups between 1891 and 1893. Having already lifted the League Cup, the present-day side could also record a treble this term, provided they beat Coleraine to complete their triple double.
Comfortable finale
As for the latest Premier League crown, Linfield would have collected title No48 even had they lost at Crusaders FC, instead of winning 3-1, as they had a goal difference that was seven superior to Glentoran's before the last day. However, despite this being his sixth championship in eleven campaigns as manager at Windsor Park, Jeffrey insisted this title race "was certainly the tightest and the toughest I've experienced thus far".
Sole aim
He added: "There were tremendous challenges from Cliftonville and Glentoran but we did well to cope with and handle the pressure. This is a tough club to manage because the expectations are so high. The triumph has been achieved by a great bunch of players and staff all working together. I'm so pleased for all of them that we've achieved our aim of retaining our title, because that is the aim we set out to achieve every season."
Roll of honour
Linfield lost only two of their 30 matches, winning 23, with those reverses being a shock 4-0 drubbing at Dungannon Swifts FC and then a first defeat in the traditional Boxing Day derby against Glentoran in 18 years. In 2008, though, Linfield remain unbeaten. If they can maintain that impressive record this weekend, they will make more history, adding the Irish Cup to the league and League Cup, so appending a triple double to their roll of honour.