Smyth simply sensational as Linfield make it a Blue day for Crues

David Healy has paid tribute to his Linfield side after they beat arch-rivals Crusaders – to reach the semi-finals of the Tennent’s Irish Cup.

And he was delighted in particular with his teenage sensation Paul Smyth.

The 19-year-old winger was in superb form – grabbing one of the Blues two strikes in their 2-0 win at Seaview.

Healy told Downtown & Cool FM: “Sometimes wide players frustrate the life out of people.

“They used to frustrate the life out of me as a centre forward because at times you don’t know what they’re going to do but he bought free kicks and I thought his second-half performance gave us the spark to go and get the breakthrough.”

And Healy said they were very much still in the title race.

“With eight games to go we’re certainly not going to give up on it,” he said

But Crues boss Stephen Baxter said his side were left to rue their mistakes.

“It was always going to be a game I felt that a couple of mistakes would do it and that’s what it proved to be,” he said.

“But the mistakes came from us and when you give a team like Linfield that opportunity they will punish you for it and that’s what they did.”

Elsewhere, Portadown were hammered 5-0 by their big mid-ulster derby rivals Glenavon at Shamrock Park.

The Glens young gun Joel Cooper was unstoppable on the day and his man-of-the-match performance helped the Lurgan Blues to their biggest derby win in 21 years.

However, Glenavon’s win was tinged with sadness with the news of the passing of club assistant manager Paul Millar’s son Philip. A minute’s silence had been held during the game and boss Gary Hamilton dedicated the victory to him.

Elsewhere, Dungannon Swifts are through to the semis after beating Warrenpoint 2-1 while Coleraine won 4-0 away to Ballymena United.

Semi-final draw: Linfield v Swfits (Mourneview Park) Glenavon v Coleraine (Ballymena Showgrounds). To be played on April 1.

• healy