Felix Healy named one of Irish League's greatest ever players

Derry’s Felix Healy has been named one of the Irish League’s greatest ever players.

The ex-Northern Ireland international is the only Derry man named in a Legends XI chosen to celebrate the past 50 years (1966-2016) of top flight football in the North.

He said he was “honoured” to receive the accolade, awarded in recognition of a seven year spell with Coleraine.

He said “I am delighted to be mentioned in the same breath with the likes of the ‘Duke of Wndsor’ Tommy Dickson, Billy Humphries and quite a few others who were household names in the Irish League.

“I don’t think that team would lose too many games, it is very balanced side.”

It is no surprise Healy has been included – during his time with the Bannsiders he won all three Player of the Year Awards in one season, numerous Player of the Month accolades, helped Coleraine win two Ulster Cups and a Gold Cup, the latter achieved when he scored four goals in extra-time against Portadown at Windsor Park.

His performances took Coleraine into Europe each of the seven years he was there which saw him play against teams such as Tottenham Hotspur, Sparta Rotterdam and the brilliant East German team, Lokomotiv Leipzig,; coming up against players such as Argentinian World Cup winner Ricki Villa and former Manchester United and Barcelona manager, Luis van Gaal.

He also won four international caps with Northern Ireland – indeed, he remains the only player from the Irish League to play in the World Cup finals.

Looking back at his time at Coleraine he said: “I had a fantastic time at Coleaine, I was treated very well. A lot of Derry players who played for them have nothing but good things to say.

“The only regret is that we never won the League title, although we came runenrs-up on three occasions.”

Healy, of course, played for his home town club, famously scoring the winning goal that clinched an historic treble for Derry City.

He also went on to manage City, guiding them to FAI Cup and League title success.

In today’s Derry News, he looks back over his playing and managerial careers, revealing how he left school when an opportunity of playing for the "blue half" of Manchester came knocking at his door.

Photo shows Healy with two of his internaitonal caps.