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Steven Crawford

Pat Fenlon says goodbye to Linfield but leaves the club in a strong position

Pat Fenlon may have said his goodbyes to Windsor Park for the second time of his career, but there's no doubt Linfield Football Club will always hold a special place in his heart.

The Dubliner won the Irish League for the Blues scoring a famous goal against Big Two rivals Glentoran on the final day of the 1993-94 season to secure the Gibson Cup in dramatic fashion.

Twenty-four years later Fenlon returned to Windsor to take over as the club's General Manager and play his part in another successful period for the Blues.

Read next: Former Linfield and Glentoran star calls time on 20-year career in the game

And while his tenure may have come to an end this week as he returns to his native city to take on the role of Director of Football with Bohemians, he can look back on his time with Linfield with great pride as he played his part in helping them secure four league titles in a row as well as push new boundaries in Europe.

The affable Fenlon was quick to play down his role in the success, but he acknowledged that although there is still work to be done the club has made big strides off the pitch as well as on it.

"From where we were when I came in to where we are now I think is night and day, but there's still work to do and it's important we don't stand still," he said.

"The organisation of the club now is in a really good position, we're in a very healthy position both on and off the pitch.

"You take pride in that, but it's down to a lot of people and a lot of work they have carried out over a period of time.

"The structures in the club are really solid and there's a good foundation there.

"Winning trophies is what this club is about.

"I've been fortunate that in the four years I've been here we've won the league, which is incredible.

"I think the manager, players and staff over that four-year period should take huge credit for that, because like I said before there's big, big challenges to us there.

"To continue to win is difficult. I've been at clubs where retaining titles is difficult, but to retain it for four years is a remarkable achievement.

"It was on the back of European success to a point as well, a lot of games every season and going a long way in Europe as well in a couple of those seasons.

"You take enjoyment in that, but you don't take any credit for it because it's the manager's job and he has to take credit for it along with his backroom staff and the club."

One thing Fenlon is rightly proud of is the club's transition to a full-time set-up, but he was quick to make the point out the difference between full-time and professional in sporting terms.

Pat Fenlon returns to Bohs as Director of Football after a successful spell as manager previously (INPHO/Cathal Noonan)

"I think the transition from the part-time set up to the full-time set up is probably the biggest pleasure I'll take from my time here," he said.

"There's a lot of stuff that has gone on which is probably not seen from when I started here.

"When I spoke to the chairman at the start it was to try and bring the club to a more professional level.

"It's obviously important that full-time and professional are different.

"To have a full-time team on the pitch that needs to back up on the resources off it. That's vitally important.

"You can train every day of the week, that doesn't mean you're a professional football club.

"You have to make sure the players, staff and manager have all the tools to go with that.

"I think we've tried to build that, there's still a bit of work to do because obviously that takes a lot of resources and finances, they are the bits you try and add on over the next few years."

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