Despite making an unbeaten start to the new season, Linfield are still kicking themselves about a late equaliser scored by Portadown last weekend, says Joel Cooper.
The 28-year-old Blues winger has played a significant part in his team’s early declaration of intent, scoring four goals and assisting several more for free-scoring Linfield, who are averaging three goals per game.
After winning the Sports Direct Player of the Month award for August, Cooper now turns his focus to the titanic encounter between Linfield and Larne on Saturday.
Reigning Champions Larne are playing catch up having had four league games postponed due to their European commitments and taking just one point from their two league games to date.
Linfield wanted to put fifteen points on the board before Larne returned to domestic duties and duly beat Ballymena United, Dungannon Swifts, Glenavon and Loughgall in their first four games.
However, a Ryan Mayse equaliser for Portadown in the 94th minute last Saturday robbed the Blues of a faultless record and, such is the focus on winning the league this year, it was the first thing Cooper thought about when asked to review the first month of the season.
“It’s been a good start”, said the Ballyclare man. “However, being at Linfield, not taking maximum points from the first few games is obviously not ideal.
“We wanted to take maximum points and have a strong month, but we didn’t do that.
“Now it’s all about regaining control. In that game at Portadown we were good, we just couldn’t see it out so we look forward to the next few games.
“They’re coming thick and fast so it’s about getting back on the horse and winning again.”
The stakes are high ahead of the crunch showdown tomorrow afternoon as both Linfield and Larne are expected to resume the dogfight we have witnessed over the last couple of seasons.
With Larne being the first Irish League club to reach the group stages of European competition, there is no precedent of a club having games postponed to help with European business, and therefore no way to know how Larne will cope with the backlog of fixtures.
Cooper was quick to praise Larne’s success in Europe but does not feel it will impact their aspirations to make it three titles in a row this term.
“First of all, it’s good for the League that Larne qualified, there will be more eyes on the league and all credit to them for getting through.
“Hopefully we can replicate that in years to come and push on.
“I don’t know that we are more motivated because Larne have been successful (in Europe), the motivation is more that we didn’t win the league last year, or the year before.
“As for the (postponed) games, I think that comes with success, and I don’t think Larne are looking at it as a negative or a disadvantage.
“We can’t look at their fixtures and whether they are going to help us, we just have to go out and play.
“If we win our games of football, we’ll be successful, and if we don’t then we won’t be. It’s down to us.
“You know Larne are going to be up there at the end of the season, fighting for the title, so these games are important and if we can get three points tomorrow we’ll be delighted.
“Whether there is a gap there or not, we want to win, we want to beat Larne when they come here, and they will be the exact same, they will want to beat us, probably to put things right from last weekend.
“It sets it up for a good game.”
