Big DJ's cup of cheer
Sunday, 4 May 2008
If there's anything to be said for pitch invasions by supporters at the end of a match, they do at least stop David Jeffrey from dancing!
You all know the drill by now. The final whistle sounds, the players collect their medals, the cup's lifted and then, out of nowhere, "Rock DJ" is piped out over the PA system and Big Davy's strutting his stuff in front of the Kop.
Linfield fans seem to be wise to this now and, before Robbie Williams even had a chance to clear his throat, the barricades had been broken, walls had been scaled and the supporters were joining in with the on-field celebrations.
I know fans are always told to keep off the pitch and that encroachment should not be encouraged, but it was Cup Final day and I know it means a lot to the kids to congratulate their favourite players and take a few photographs of the big day.
While they may have denied the boss his disco dancing moment in the spotlight, one thing you cannot take away from David Jeffrey is his remarkable record in Irish League management.
Yesterday, he added another honour to the collection and cannot be praised highly enough.
He deserves all the credit in the world for yet another successful season at Linfield and the way he has continued to deliever the trophies is a wonderful achievement.
We have now won the league and Irish Cup for three successive seasons - the first time that has been done in more than a century.
I'm sure there are plenty of you sick hearing about that stat, but it's something neither myself nor anyone else involved at Linfield will ever tire of recalling.
Doubles don't come along too often, less still twice in a row.
To have done in three times on the trot - not forgetting the addition of the CIS Cup for good measure - then it shows you the size of our achievement and that is something we should all be very proud of.
Perhaps now we will begin to get the credit I feel we have not been afforded in the media.
It's so easy to say that a club with Linfield's resources should be winning all the cups all the time but, at the end of the day, the players still have to perform and get the job done.
We've been slagged off a little bit too much for my liking this season but perhaps now we'll start to get the praise that we deserve.
It's been a huge effort from every single player involved, not to mention all of the backroom staff and, of course, not forgetting the manager.
Looking back on yesterday's match, I think it was the proverbial game of two halves.
Just ahead of the trophy presentation, I was speaking to a few Coleraine players and we spoke about how failure to take their first-half chances is what cost them in the end.
Personally, I was happy to only be going in 1-0 down at the break because I knew that, following a little bit of a talk and discussion, we would come out and turn in a much better performance.
Peter Thompson showed why he's the Irish League's top marksman with two cool finishes within minutes of one another - one with the right foot, one with the left.
I enjoy playing alongside Peter up front because, over the years, we have developed a real understanding with one another and I feel we bring out the best in eachother.
He's a real predator and, just when Coleraine wanted to settle the game down a little bit and get themselves a foothold in the second-half, he popped up with two quick goals to turn things around.
He had had a fairly quiet first-half - most of us did - but quality players will always show their worth in the end.
He bagged two goals and, had it not been for a smart stop from Davy O'Hare later in the game, might have claimed the match ball with a hat-trick.
Two proved to be enough, though, and we were delighted to mark the end of a long, hard season with another trophy, another double and a wonderful treble.
As I said, all credit must go to David Jeffrey for masterminding the success.
He's not one to rest on his laurels, however. He's already started working for next season.
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