Big Two humiliation was lowest of the low for Linfield, admits Jamie Mulgrew

Linfield captain Jamie Mulgrew was left devastated for the Blues fans after the 4-0 defeat to Glentoran

Jamie Mulgrew watches on as Glentoran's Daire O'Connor celebrates during the Big Two encounter at The Oval

Jamie Mulgrew says it was imperative for Linfield’s players to show ‘character and fight’ in Tuesday’s dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Larne to right the wrongs of their shock 4-0 defeat at Glentoran, which he described as ‘embarrassing, unacceptable and the lowest of the low’.

Blues skipper Mulgrew stated that the club and fans were badly let down in Friday’s Sports Direct Premiership thumping in east Belfast and a strong reaction was required in the BetMcLean Cup Quarter-Final at Inver Park, which is exactly what happened.

David Healy’s men reached the Semi-Final stage after winning 3-2 on penalties following a gripping second period of extra-time when first Linfield, down to ten men following Kyle McClean’s red card, scored through Euan East, only to fall behind to quickfire goals from Lee Bonis and Leroy Millar before 16-year-old substitute Braiden Graham netted in the 119th minute to make it 2-2, sending the tie to spot-kicks.

Experienced midfielder Mulgrew has been hugely successful in his time with the Blues, winning ten titles and multiple Cup competitions, but failures cut deep and the heavy defeat to Glentoran hurt him and everyone else at Linfield.

“It was important first and foremost to react to a very, very low night on Friday, which was unacceptable and embarrassing for the football club,” said the 37-year-old.

“We certainly let down the most important people, the fans, who came out in their numbers against Glentoran, and it was crucial that we had a reaction.

“We were hungry to win a