Ballymena United stun Linfield 3-0 at Windsor Park on opening Saturday
Ballymena United defeated Linfield 3-0 at Windsor Park on the opening Saturday of the Irish Premiership season, producing a dominant display to claim victory.
Oran Kearney, who replaced Jim Ervin last December, is starting his first full season in charge and brought a large overhaul to the squad this summer; his summer window saw 11 new signings and 17 departures. Five players who moved from Linfield to the Sky Blues were involved in the squad for the Windsor Park meeting, which many had expected to be the weekend's standout fixture. Ballymena scored three goals at Windsor for the first time since Boxing Day 1973 and recorded their first win at Windsor Park against Linfield since 2004. The margin made it the most lop-sided scoreline of the opening weekend.
Chris McKee, who struggled for minutes at Linfield, netted twice inside the opening hour of his first Premiership start for Ballymena, his second described in the report as a superb strike. Both McKee goals were assisted by former Linfield players. Success Edogun added a third to finish the scoring and secure the Sky Blues' victory. Kearney handed his five ex-Linfield recruits league debuts in Belfast, and they contributed early in the match.
Ballymena controlled large periods of the game from the first whistle, pressing Linfield across the pitch and closing them down in midfield. The performance gave the visiting supporters cause for optimism after a heavy win on enemy soil. The report notes that, with so many new faces, settling for teams can be difficult early in the season, but Kearney's side delivered a convincing result.
Midfielder Josh Archer was singled out for settling into midfield quickly and Scott Whiteside was also mentioned as impressing. The article says Archer and Fuad Sule developed their partnership during pre-season and helped to close Linfield down in the middle of the park. Those midfield performances formed part of Ballymena's control of the match.
Archer told BBC Sport NI: "We have set the bar now, we have to reach those levels every week, and I thought everyone put a shift in," and added: "I have really enjoyed it, been made to feel really welcome, and it helps when some of the boys are coming in with me. "You get results like today and get ones that aren't as good, but we want to push as it is a good group, and I think we are capable this year." Kearney had said during the close season that the Sky Blues will be out to 'upset the applecart', and the result was presented in the report as evidence that those ambitions can be realised. The piece raises the question of consistency and notes Ballymena's next match is against Crusaders, followed by home fixtures versus Glentoran and Larne and a trip to the Coleraine Showgrounds.
It was described as a "nightmare start to the campaign for the Blues", with Linfield having made just four new signings in what the report called a low-key window and manager David Healy openly conceding the squad may be light. Healy said: "A lot of people have been looking at us coming into the season, they've been sort of thinking, maybe we are a bit short and a bit light," and added: "Today was a big concern to me as a manager and speaking to the staff for the length of time they did after the game. I'm sure the board and supporters have a real general concern about the season ahead. "As I've assured them many times, we will go with the squad of players that we have." Healy has less than a week to prepare his side for the 'Big Two' derby against Glentoran on Saturday, 15 August.
