Irish Premiership: 'I've faced the dark days' - fear of failure has 'greedy' Mulgrew craving Linfield double

When Cameron Palmer was tiring in the closing stages of Linfield's Irish Cup final win, he did not have to look too far for an energy boost.

"Getting towards the end and not being able to feel your legs, you look over at him and he is still running around and winning every tackle. That gives you encouragement," reflected Palmer.

It's an insightful snapshot of the Linfield captain's insatiable appetite for silverware - something which he made no effort to hide as he looked ahead to their vital Irish Premiership trip to Coleraine on Tuesday night.

Five points ahead of the Bannsiders with two league matches remaining, David Healy's men need a point to secure a first league and cup double since 2017 - but a win for Oran Kearney's side would see them move to within striking distance of top spot on the final day.

"The older I get the more I appreciate it [winning trophies] and the more emotional I get," said Mulgrew, who has lifted the Gibson Cup for the last two seasons.

"I enjoy playing for this football club, I give my life to the football club and have done for the past 16 years. I make sacrifices, my family make sacrifices but that is what you have got to do if you want to be successful, if you want to leave a legacy as an individual and as a team.

"I am still hungry and desperate to continue winning all that's on offer. At Linfield, it is important that you never get complacent. When you are a part of this club you have to be greedy - it's important that we back the Irish Cup win up. "

'Don't enter if you don't fear failure'

An injury kept Mulgrew out of the Linfield side for a spell recently, but he returned for important matches against Glentoran and Larne, and he was a key figure with another commanding display in Friday's impressive 2-1 cup final win over Larne.

It was a seventh Irish Cup success for the 34-year-old and, as he chases down a ninth league winners' medal on Tuesday, the man who began his career at Glentoran explained how the fear of failure helps motivate him.

"I have faced the dark days of going through a barren spell of not winning anything and going through a period of 'will it ever happen again?'," he continued.

"You don't want to spend a time at Linfield when you don't win anything because you are basically a failure if that happens.

"I remember [former Blues boss] David Jeffrey used to have a sign on the door that said 'don't enter if you don't fear failure' and it always sticks in my head. I had that sickening feeling of failing ahead of the Irish Cup final but thankfully we got the win and now we have to bring that performance again if we want to win the league."

A former team-mate of Coleraine manager Oran Kearney at Linfield, Mulgrew has been hugely impressed by the Bannsiders' season so far.

"Where Coleraine have come from since the start of the year until now is amazing, it really is, and I don't mean that in a patronizing way at all.

"Where they have come from to now be challenging is amazing so we will need to bring a top performance on Tuesday night, and hopefully then we can enjoy the season after that."

Relaxed Kearney's message to Blues boss Healy

It was in danger of getting a little lost in the drama of Friday night's cup final, played in front of 1,000 spectators for the first time in 2021, but Linfield lifting the trophy meant Coleraine's place in European football for next season was confirmed.

It looked like the Bannsiders' title challenge had been ended by a 2-1 defeat at Windsor Park in April, but they have forced their way back into contention, and Kearney seemed in relaxed mood going into Tuesday's title tussle when speaking on Sportsound.

"I sent David [Healy] a message after the cup final to congratulate him and told him not to be afraid to go and celebrate with his players for 72 hours," the former St Mirren boss joked.

"He didn't seem to bite at that and said he would see me on Tuesday night, but I thought I would plant the seed anyway."

Having led Coleraine to second-place finishes in his last two seasons in charge at Ballycastle Road, either side of his year in Scotland, Kearney believes there could be a few factors in his side's favour against Linfield.

"I think around December time we had lost four in a row and were sitting 10th, maybe 18 behind Linfield and 20-odd behind Larne, so to have qualified for Europe with two games to spare is phenomenal.

"Now that we are guaranteed Europe we are not going into Tuesday night's game from a cagey point of view. We can just focus on the one game now and try and send it to the final day. That is our sole job, to push it to the final day of the season.

"We have had 10 days [without a match] either side of the Crusaders game which has been helpful. We have been able to get good training sessions in and hopefully it will freshen everyone right up. We also have the added buzz of getting fans back in which will be brilliant."