Jonathan Bradley

BBC Sport NI Journalist

Crowned Irish Premiership champions with six games to spare, Linfield have become the first team to win the league before the end-of-season ‘split’.

Glentoran’s failure to beat Larne on Tuesday night saw David Healy’s men amass an unassailable advantage and regain the Gibson Cup after Larne’s back-to-back title wins of the past two years.

Despite their huge lead at the top of the table, the south Belfast side have dealt with plenty of difficulties along the way including speculation over the futures of their manager and best player, key changes in personnel through the season and a string of frustrating defeats to their biggest rivals.

BBC Sport NI looks back on how Linfield won the title with over a month remaining.

The first big test of Linfield’s season came as early as August when Scottish Championship side Raith Rovers made an approach for manager David Healy.

The Blues had started the campaign with three wins from three when the Kirkcaldy club came calling and, after news of the approach broke, it was widely assumed that a 5-1 victory over Loughgall would be his last in charge at Windsor Park.

However, Linfield chairman Roy McGivern said that the club were “determined” to keep hold of their manager since 2015.

He proved true to his word and Healy signed a contract extension until 2026 later that month.

As Healy prepares to get his hands on the Gibson Cup for a sixth time, one only has to look around the Irish League to see how valuable stability in the dugout can be.

Silverware is, of course, no guarantee of universal popularity among the Linfield faithful and even after pledging his future to the club Healy was still under pressure from some sections of the support.

League defeats to then champions Larne, fierce rivals Glentoran and Cliftonville, as well as a County Antrim Shield exit to Crusaders, across the space of eight autumn weeks caused plenty of consternation at Windsor Park.

When Linfield fell behind to struggling Carrick Rangers to Taylors Avenue, matters threatened to come to a head.

The visiting support were in an increasing state of unrest as Joe Crowe’s goal looked set to cause an upset but Kyle McClean, Joel Cooper and Chris Shields all found the net in the final 13 minutes to secure a 3-1 win.

The victory moved Linfield five points clear at the top and they have not looked back, winning 14 of their subsequent 18 league games.

The win against Carrick was a first league start of the season for goalkeeper David Walsh.

Chris Johns had been Healy’s number one since arriving from Coleraine in 2020 and, after settling in at Windsor Park, played a big role in Irish Premiership titles in his first two seasons.

The former Bangor man fumbled a corner prior to Ryan Corrigan’s winning goal for Cliftonville at Windsor Park a week before the trip to Taylors Avenue with Walsh ever present between the sticks since.

The 22-year-old was named Northern Ireland Football Writers’ Player of the Month for December and has rewarded Healy’s faith with 11 clean sheets in 19 league games as a starter.

The Irish League’s January transfer window was dominated by one key phrase – “pre-contract agreements”.

Joe Thomson put pen to paper with Glentoran, while Ronan Doherty and Levi Ives inked terms with Coleraine.

While all those deals were made with the intention of the players joining their new clubs upon the expiration of their current deals and in time for next season, ultimately all three made the move for a fee in January instead.

Linfield’s star man Joel Cooper has also agreed to join the Bannsiders next season but, in contrast, the Blues refused to countenance allowing the former Glenavon man to depart early.

In what was a tricky situation for both player and club, Linfield’s insistence on delaying Cooper’s journey to the Ballycastle Road has worked to their advantage.

Eight of his 18 league goals this season have come after news of the impending switch and he has continued to be a talismanic figure for the champions.

It is to take nothing away from Linfield’s title win to say that they have lacked a genuine challenger through the campaign.

Healy’s side went top after their third game of the season and have led the league each time they have taken the field since.

In the past four seasons it would have taken an average of over 80 points to be crowned champions but Linfield have done so now with a tally of 73.

Champions Larne have faltered, their efforts hampered both by their historic progression in the Uefa Conference League, the loss of Lee Bonis in the summer and having three different managers during the campaign.

Cross-city rivals Glentoran have headed the chasing pack in the season’s final months but were always in a rebuilding year in a first season under Declan Devine and after huge turnover of players in the summer.

While the Glens have certainly had Linfield’s number – winning two and drawing one of the three league meetings so far as well as knocking the Blues out of Irish and BetMcClean cups – they have been too inconsistent to mount a serious challenge.

Even without Cooper, the new champions will be expected to be strong again next year. The question will be if any of their rivals can make it a better race?

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