Linfield boss David Healy believes the champions will be on firm ground when they clear a tough run of fixtures against some of their nearest title rivals early next month.
The Blues, who drew 2-2 at Cliftonville on Tuesday night, face Oran Kearney’s Coleraine at the Showgrounds on Saturday afternoon.
Their next league games are then against Larne at Windsor Park on February 8 followed by a trip to Big Two rivals Glentoran, who currently lie second in the table, three days later.
With the Glens and Reds breathing down their necks, Healy knows Linfield, who are chasing a fourth straight title, have little room for error.
But he is content that the Windsor Park men are getting some of their biggest tests out of the way two months out from the split at the end of March.
“It’s a tough run, but when these games come along you’re thinking ‘brilliant’,” he said. “We’ll be playing some massive games, but we’ll look forward to them.
“Also, after playing Cliftonville at Solitude on Tuesday night, we now don’t play them again until after the league splits into a top six and bottom six.
“It’s the same with Larne and Glentoran, once we play them after the Coleraine game we’re done with them until the split.”
With 14 games to go Linfield hold a slender lead at the summit with Glentoran, who host Warrenpoint Town today, one point behind in second.
Paddy McLaughlin’s Cliftonville have also impressed - and possibly surprised many onlookers - by sustaining a challenge into the final third of the campaign.
Healy said: “Glentoran are in and around where everybody expected them to be and everybody probably expected Linfield to be in and around where we are.
“Also credit to Cliftonville because maybe not too many people thought they would be where they are in the table at this stage of the campaign.
“The league’s challenging at the moment, but it’s challenging for everyone and we’re in and around where we need to be.
“It’s going to be enthralling, it’s going to be entertaining and I’d imagine there’ll be a lot of twists and turns along the way. That’s good for everyone associated with the Irish League.”
Healy is expecting another battle against a Coleraine side looking to bounce back from a late midweek 2-1 defeat to Glentoran at the BetMcLean Oval.
With just one win in their last nine outings, the Bannsiders, who were being talked up as challengers earlier in the season, have slipped to seventh in the table.
Healy said: “If you look at it on paper, some people might say Coleraine are slightly behind where people expected them to be, but we know it’ll be a tough game.”
“We know the level of challenge we’re going to get and Coleraine will be desperate to get the three points and get back into contention for European places.”
