Ryan McCann wants to make it a Windsor Park double for his family this week, but the former Linfield midfielder doesn’t believe there is ever a good time to be facing the Blues.

McCann’s older brother Grant struck a beautiful goal for Northern Ireland in Wednesday night’s 4-0 win over San Marino and Ryan would love to notch one against his former club.

After back-to-back defeats at the hands of Derry City and Ballymena United, some would have you believe that Linfield are finished, but not McCann, who sees as big a threat as there has ever been coming out of Windsor Park.

The Whites go into the game on the back of four defeats and a draw since topping the table in mid-September and there would be no better time to get back into a winning habit.

“Linfield have lost two games in a row and people will look at it in two ways,” said McCann.

“The thinking might be that it’s a good time to go there or that this is the worst possible time to play them, but you can never afford to think that you are going to play them at a good time.

“It is no different going there this weekend than any other time.

“As usual we go to Windsor not expected to get anything, so after the run of defeats we have had it’s maybe set-up for us.

“There is no way we’ll be thinking that Linfield are vulnerable though. They still have most of last year’s team and they have dominate the top trophies for the last three seasons.

“I still think that they will be up there come the end of the season and they are still the team to beat.”

Ryan was there on Wednesday night to watch his sibling strike his Northern Ireland goal at Windsor Park and it is a leaf that he wants to take out of Grant’s book.

“I saw him after the game and he was delighted to have scored the goal, but overall just pleased to be back in the squad,” said Ryan.

“It was a great strike and my plan is to put in a repeat performance with a goal against Linfield.

“It is something that I really want to build into my game.

“I think last season I scored three goals, this season my target is between five and ten.

“I think any midfielder should be looking towards that number of goals to take the burden off the front players. We have a couple of strikers who will hit well into double figures, but if the midfield can score too then it helps the team.”