Northern Ireland’s greatest ever goalscorer David Healy was the key factor in Dundalk captain Chris Shields opting for Linfield over Glentoran, Sunday Life Sport can reveal.
he 30-year-old midfield powerhouse joined up with his new team-mates at Windsor Park this week in preparation for Linfield’s Champions League qualification tie against Zalgiris Vilnius on Tuesday.
His capture is a feather in the cap for Linfield boss Healy as the Dubliner enjoyed nine glorious and successful years at Oriel Park.
And at the root of his odyssey from Clondalkin to Bangor, where he now lives, was “the love of a good woman”.
“Where I am living was a big factor in me leaving Dundalk for Linfield, and the love of a good woman is behind it,” said the respected player.
“I’m from Dublin, my wife Shauna is from Bangor, we are together now for nine years, we got married in 2017 and have two kids.
“Dundalk seemed to be a perfect fit for a man from Dublin and a woman from Bangor and I commuted to the club, but with the kids now older I wanted to be closer to home, and Bangor is my home now, it’s a brilliant place to live in.
“It was an easy enough decision for me really, I live in the same town as David Healy and we would always stop for a chat about football when we bumped into each other. He lives close to a friend of my wife’s, so we knew each other well.
“When David found out I was coming to the end of my time at Dundalk, and asked if we could have a chat about possibly going to Linfield, I said, ‘Yes, of course!’
“I knew a lot about the club obviously, not only having played against Linfield but in my time living here I would have gone to a lot of Irish League games.
“I was at Solitude when Linfeld won the title there and I have been to The Oval, Windsor Park and Seaview a few times as well because I’m a fan of football.
“I believe there was a late bid for me from Glentoran, they were interested and that left me with a decision to make.
“In the end my heart said Linfield because of my relationship with David.”
Shields will be joining talisman and captain Jamie Mulgrew in midfield, with competition also coming from Cammy Palmer, Stephen Fallon and Kyle McClean, who is rehabilitating a serious injury sustained last season.
His respect for Mulgrew is evident and one thing the midfield general thinks he can help his new club with is playing in Europe.
He has years of experience playing in both the Champions and Europa Leagues with Dundalk, culminating last year with games against Arsenal in the group stages of the latter.
“I will take my lead from Jamie Mulgrew, who has been a great servant to the club and is a natural leader, and there are a clutch of talented young players in midfield too.
“This is my first week at the club and I’ve seen at close quarters how good Cammy Palmer is, I played against Stevie Fallon, and Kyle McClean will be great to have back when he returns from injury.
“I’m going in as a midfielder. If we have injuries and David wants me to step in at the back and play centre-half, I’ll do it, but I have signed to play in midfield.
“I had many highlights in my time at Dundalk but I think my proudest moment was captaining the team in the group stages of the Europa League last year.
“We had Arsenal, Rapid Vienna and Molde in our group and leading Dundalk out onto the Emirates pitch — even though it was empty — was pretty special.
“Beating Bate Borisov 3-0 to qualify for the group stages was another highlight and I think that’s one thing I can bring to Linfield, experience of playing in Europe.
“I think our squad is suited to play in Europe, don’t overlook the exuberance of youth because younger lads are fearless.
“Patience is a big thing in Europe, in my opinion, and making the right decisions. You have to pick your moments in Europe and also be aware of the climate you are playing in.
“Lithuania will be hot so we have to be careful not to expend too much energy early on, but I’m sure we will cope.
“Like any new job I suppose, I’m excited and I’m looking forward to getting going. I am very grateful to Dundalk for understanding my family circumstances and not standing in my way.
“I left on good terms and I was very touched at the send off I got from the club and the fans.
“It will be a different calendar for me, I usually have Christmas off but I will have a Boxing Day game against Glentoran to keep me busy and I’m really looking forward to experiencing a Big Two derby.”
And not only are the Blues welcoming a quality player into their ranks, but they are also getting the rarity that is a Dubliner who supports Rangers.
“Yes, I’m a Rangers fan, which was quite a shock to a few of the boys at Linfield, like Matty Clarke, who was at Ibrox and is a big Rangers fan.
“I think because I am from Dublin they were expecting me to be a Celtic fan, but no, I’ve always been a Rangers fan and come from a Rangers-supporting family.
“My dad was from Stevenston in Ayrshire, he was a Rangers fan and I inherited it from him. I used to get banter at Dundalk on Old Firm derby day, but nobody was bothered by it.”
