Their battling draw away to NK Gorica - top seeds in the Champions League qualifying round - may not have been enough to progress but they were left with a strong sense of 'what might have been'.

Hosts Gorica, leading 3-1 from the first leg at Windsor Park, hit the woodwork twice in the opening exchanges.

But they were stunned on 28 minutes when Peter Thompson, still the subject of cross-channel transfer rumours, fired Linfield into the lead with a close-range tap-in after Mark Dickson had created the opening by chipping the ball over keeper Mitja Pirih.

Unfortunately, this lead lasted just three minutes when Miran Burgič beat Alan Mannus from a Simon Živec free-kick.

Linfield might have regained the lead on 52 minutes had Mark Dickson been able to convert a spot-kick awarded when an Aidan O'Kane shot was handled in the area.

And Linfield's disappointment was compounded seven minutes from time when Burgič grabbed his second of the evening - a header in off an upright - to hand Gorica the lead on the night.

However Linfield weren't finished.