In the build up to our Bet McLean League Cup tie vs Linfield, Paul Harbinson spoke with our media team on Linfield, the mood in the camp and some team news. Read on for a full transcript:
Paul, cup nights don’t come much bigger than this one. Home, at Dixon Park, under the lights against the current Premiership and Irish Cup champions. How much are you looking forward to this one?
We’re all very much looking forward to the game as an opportunity to test ourselves against the very best and also to tidy up a lot of what we haven’t been tidy with in the last few weeks. We have a big couple of weeks ahead and collectively, we don’t feel that we are performing to our potential so it gives us a chance against the best to really challenge our mentality and our determination.
What has the mood been like in the camp in preparation for the match?
The mood has been excellent. We had a training session on Sunday morning together and the players were all feeling fit and strong and there is a real feeling of togetherness. We are blessed to have a fantastic group of players both personally and professionally so it makes it very easy to work with.
Any injuries concerns going into the game?
We have picked up a few minor injuries over the course of the last few games. Chris Ramsey had a little niggle, as did Ciaran Dobbin. We all saw Jack Ferguson slam his back off the post on Saturday so we’ll be cautious about that too. Other than that, we’re happy that everyone else is fighting fit.
Ballyclare will undoubtedly be going into this one as underdogs, but, as we know, anything can happen in cup games. What are Ballyclare’s chances of causing an upset?
I think we’ll just focus on this game as an opportunity to continue on our journey of progression. We want to improve every week and we have stalled a little on that so this is just a midweek chance to put that right. The players are looking forward to it and hopefully we’ll have a good crowd out to enjoy an entertaining game of football.
