Linfield Left Short

Linfield 3-2 Stjarnan (UEFA Europa Conference Qualifying)

Belfast is a small town, the population almost of my home city of Nottingham, but unlike back in blighty, everywhere you turn you see a football ground, it feels it punches above it's weight in comparison to many cities in England, it feels football is at its heartbeat of the city, even the local airport is named after George Best, the homes of Crusaders, Cliftonville, Glentoran, Linfield, all around ten or fifteen minutes drive apart.

Linfield are the most successful side in Northern Ireland with 56 league titles. Their blue white and red kit resembles Rangers in Scotland, and they have a fierce rivalry with Glentoran who like Celtic in Glasgow, act as the green half of the Belfast big two.

I won't go into politics but you'll instantly tell who supports who. If you're catholic, pro-Irish and born locally it tends to be Glentoran & Celtic, if you're British and fly the Union Jack in your garden, you'll probably support Linfield and Rangers.

Tonight's game see's Linfield take on Icelandic part-timers Stjarnan who are 2-0 up from the first leg in the Europa League first qualifying round. I don't know anything about Stjarnan which is apparently a multi-sports club from Garobaer which is just south of Reykjavik. Formed in 1960 the football team has one league championship in 2014 and one Icelandic Cup win in 2018, to its name.

The Venue

Linfield play at Windsor Park which is also the home of the Northern Irish FA. The stadium has had major works in recent years and looks unrecognisable to what it once did, three sides bowl shaped and modern now connected to an old two tier stand which I liken to those you used to get in an old Subbuteo set.

I've pulled up on Olympia Drive outside a couple of 4G training pitches, the short walk has me heading up the road, past terraced houses with Union Jack and Northern Irish flags in their gardens to the back of the East Stand and wrapping around to the South Stand entrance where everyone else is heading through the electric turnstiles.

Inside the arena is stunning and modern but upstairs on the concourse it's grey, miserable and basic, to say the least. I ask for a pie but they don't do them so it's a quick burger and brew before I'm out in the open a good fifteen rows up, nicely elevated as the stand I'm in fills up with home supporters, the stand to the left housing the ultras who are making some noise, the one opposite has around 30 Stjarnan fans in the top tier, the stand on my right unoccupied, as the rain starts to slowly spit down.

The Game

Being 2-0 down from the first leg the impetus is on Linfield and they start well, pegging back Stjarnan who seem to play without real identity. Not knowing whether to stick or twist with an awkward lead which catches them in two minds.

Linfield get an early goal to reduce the ties deficit as Kristjansson heads into his own net for a roar of belief, the home team push with a flurry of first half corners as the rain starts to fasten and pelt down, there's people in front of me moving seats as even ten rows high they're getting wet, I'm thankful of the half time whistle as I look to move to a drier spot.

The Score

No such luck, the stand I'm in is packed to the rafters (whilst all the other three sides aren't), everyone now sitting in the top few rows as they aim to keep dry, Linfield come out from the break with one intention, but Stjarnan break themselves, win a corner and Atlason dives in like Keith Houchen to get an all important goal.

That seems to lift the spirits of the Icelanders as their fans do the Viking chant in the gods above standing in the middle section upper tier of the stand opposite, but Linfield Manager David Healy makes three changes and one of those subs, 17-year old Matthew Orr, heads home a beauty of a ball by Millar to squeeze the tie into a one goal game again.

By now it's really seething down and you can tell that Stjarnan dont want it. Playing percentages and getting rid with the hope they do Linfield on the break, the pressure is on and the ball falls to Fitzpatrick who unleashed through a crowd a third goal on the volley to take the tie level, everyone is up chanting and celebrating bar me, who's thinking extra time is on the cards, and I'm already drenched to the skin.

But as Linfield go for the jugular, another rare attack causes panic, Brink down the left crosses low where Halldorsson smashes home. A smash and grab from a team that hardly deserved to go through, although their clinical finishing when it mattered, their get out of jail free card.

The Stars

You have to feel for Linfield who played well on the night. Chris Shields was brilliant in the quarter back position, often picking the ball up from deep and looking to start play with his range of passes, he defended well but went in reckless late on to receive his marching orders in injury time.

Another player impressing was the busy Joel Cooper, apparently playing his 200th Linfield game he floated about in all sorts of attacking positions. Whilst Kirk Miller out right put some brilliant balls into the box.

Of the Stjarnan players their star of the show for me was a tubby little left winger called Oli Omarsson. Very much in the Xhedran Shaqiri short and stumpy mould, a stocky but dinky little bull of a player who was quick, direct and a constant irritant until he was frustratingly substituted during Linfield's best spell of the game.

The Verdict

I said last night on Larne's performance against RFS that if they play like that domestically, they won't win the Irish Premiership this season coming. Whilst watching Linfield put in a top attacking performance I see more scope that they have the tools. A team with good experience and some good quality pros who certainly work hard for the cause.

Stjarnan are a funny old team, part-timers who obviously have something about them, who didn't show much of it tonight. They'll be relieved to get through but i'll be surprised if they go any further. They do have some good footballers and were probably hindered by performance from their two goal lead, which in the end was the deciding difference over the two legs.

The Teams

Linfield: Chris Johns, Ethan McGee (Matthew Orr 64), Scot Whiteside, Sam Roscoe-Byrne, Ryan McKay (Rhys Annett 64), Kyle McLean (Cameron Ballantyne 90), Chris Shields, Joel Cooper, Kirk Millar, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Chris McKee (Darragh McBrien 64).

Stjarnan: Matthias Rosenorn, Heidar Aegisson, Sindrithor Ingimarsson, Gudmundur Kristjansson, Orvar Logi Orvarsson, Robert Thorkelsson (Heldi Ingeson 81), Daniel Laxdal, Kjartian Mar Kjartansson (Hilmar Halldorsson 80), Orvar Eggerston, Emil Atlason, Oli Valur Omarsson (Havkur Orn Brink 76).

7:45pm Kick Off. Thursday 18th July 2024, Windsor Park, Belfast (att 3,046).