Linfield continued their winning start to their Irish Premiership title defence with a 3-1 away victory over a spirited Newry City.
An Eetu Vertainen double put the Blues 2-0 up with Lorcan Forde pulling one back for the newly-promoted hosts before Andrew Clarke sealed the win with a third in the second half.
It made it two Premiership wins from two for Linfield, whose manager David Healy once again made a host of changes with a crucial Europa Conference League play-off second leg on Thursday.
Having drawn 2-2 away to RFS in Riga on Thursday night, Healy’s men welcome the Latvians to Windsor Park this Thursday as they aim to become the first Irish Premiership side to reach the group stage of a European competition.
The return of Irish Premiership football to the Newry Showgrounds attracted a large crowd, but it was the away supporters who almost had something to cheer in the opening minutes when Kirk Millar saw his shot well saved by the diving Steven Maguire.
The Blues were dominating the early possession but City were posing a threat on the counter-attack and Chris Johns had to save with his legs to deny Noel Healy an equaliser.
Thomas Lockhart also tested Johns, but it was Linfield that made the breakthrough on 16 minutes with Vertainen getting on the end of Joel Cooper’s cross to guide the ball home at the back post.
Linfield were forced to call upon Johns to save again as John McGovern raced clear from the halfway line and got a shot away, but from the resulting corner Linfield broke forward to add a second with a fine 20-yard strike from Vertainen for his double.
Any hopes of a comfortable afternoon for the Blues were dispelled in the 35th minute when Forde dived to head powerfully past Johns from a corner.
Newry continued their revival in the second half with James Teelan twice coming close and Daniel Hughes blasting over the bar from the edge of the penalty area.
Darren Mullen’s men, who lost away to Carrick on the opening weekend, could not find the goal to draw them level and Linfield secured all three points when Clarke volleyed in Cooper’s low cross at the front post in the 78th minute.
The victory maintains Linfield 100 percent start to the Irish Premiership season, while last term’s Championship winners Newry still await their first point of the new campaign.
