Sports

Have Linfield been overlooked as possible title contenders?

Nairavoice · Sep 26, 2026 · 5 min read

Alarm bells were ringing for Linfield after a humbling 3-0 home defeat by Ballymena United on the opening day of the season.

However, nearly two months on, those concerns seem a distant memory as the Blues have responded in comprehensive fashion and are unbeaten in eight subsequent league games.

David Healy’s side swept aside Coleraine 3-1 at Ballycastle Road on Friday night to emphasise their title credentials and give further credence to the old adage that ‘you can never write off Linfield’.

It was arguably the result of the weekend in the Irish Premiership and one which leaves Linfield joint top of the table with the Bannsiders as they continue their pursuit of a 58th Gibson Cup success.

Linfield’s league triumph in 2024 was one of the most dominant seen in the Irish Premiership and while it is set to be a much tighter battle for the title this year, will the Blues be in contention? BBC Sport NI takes a look.

Linfield thrash Coleraine despite injury issues

Coleraine have been widely tipped as one of the favourites to lift the Gibson Cup for just the second time in their history this season, with Larne thought to be their main rivals for the biggest domestic prize in the local game.

However, they were very much second best when Linfield came to the Showgrounds on Friday night.

Adam Frizzell’s early goal and a stunning strike from Chris Shields had the away side in control at the break before Kobei Moore extended their lead.

Matthew Shevlin’s goal gave the home side some hope of a comeback but, unusually for Ruaidhri Higgins’ side, they struggled to find the quality needed in the final third to beat a resolute Linfield defence.

The Blues registered the impressive result without main strikers, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Kieran Offord, who are both sidelined through injury.

With a two-week break before their next fixture, Healy will hope the pause gives the squad time to recover, while the performance at the Showgrounds will have strengthened their belief that they have a squad to compete, even with injuries to key players.

“Linfield from the first whistle to the last, were absolutely top notch,” BBC Sport NI summariser Liam Beckett said on Saturday’s Sportsound.

“Slowly but surely Linfield have been getting results, and Friday night was no fluke.

“Coleraine can look for all the excuses they want but they were well beaten by a better team on the night. It throws the title race wide open.”

Healy’s managerial experience

As other Premiership managerial legends falter, Healy has proven once again how he is one of Linfield’s greatest assets.

Many questions had been asked around the club’s lack of new arrivals during the summer window, but Healy has appeared to have found a way to create a compete side even without being busy in the transfer market.

Having accrued six Irish Premiership titles and two Irish Cups during his 11 years at Linfield, the former Northern Ireland striker has a complete understanding of what it takes to negotiate the demands of the Irish Premiership title race.

There is still a question mark over squad depth, but the Blues possess something that cannot be easily added in the transfer window: a manager with a proven record of delivering trophies.

Already shown they can recover from bad results

A sign of a team who will be able to fight for titles is their ability to bounce back quickly from setbacks.

The opening day defeat by Ballymena was one of the surprises of the first round of fixtures with Linfield short of ideas and off the pace as the Sky Blues deservedly claimed the three points.

However, since then, they have responded in convincing fashion and have collected points consistently, while also registering five clean sheets in the process.

During their win over rivals Glentoran in the second game of the season, the Blues displayed togetherness and character in abundance.

Wins over Cliftonville, Limavady United, Carrick Rangers, Dungannon Swifts, Crusaders and Coleraine have followed.

A draw against former Blues boss David Jeffrey’s Portadown is the only time that the side have dropped points since the Ballymena result, with the sides sharing the spoils at Shamrock Park.

For a team hoping to win a title, the ability to bounce back from a setback can be just as important as how a side performs when everything is going to plan.

Goals coming from across the squad

There is also encouragement to be found in the distribution of goals throughout the Linfield squad.

Joel Cooper’s switch to Coleraine left Linfield without one of their most attacking outlets and the side have never really replaced him.

However, goals have come from a range of players so far this season with 10 goalscorers in their opening nine matches.

This could be hugely beneficial as the season progresses and fixtures come thick and fast with the added challenges of injuries and suspensions.

Every team at the top and the bottom of the table will experience both winning and losing runs, while the pressure of the title race will continue as the season progresses.

After their opening day disaster, Linfield have proven that it would be foolish to rule them out of the as they responded even louder than the early alarm bells.