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Midfielder/Manager
1987-1991, 1994-1998
The lack of senior football in Derry, between 1972 and 1985, sadly meant a whole generation of talented young footballers were forced to ply their trade outside of their hometown. One such footballer was Patrick Joseph Healy - better known to everyone as Felix.
Born and raised within a stone's throw of the Brandywell, on 2nd August 1955, it was unfortunate that the early part of Felix's career coincided with the withdrawal of Derry City from the Irish League. Instead, Felix began his footballing career with Sligo Rovers, Distillery and Finn Harps.
Impressive midfield performances for Finn Harps during the 1977/78 season brought about an £8000 transfer to Port Vale - then playing in the English Fourth Division.
After two seasons and over 40 League appearances at Vale Park, 24-year old Healy was to return home and begin a long and successful spell at Coleraine. In his second season at Coleraine Showgrounds, Coleraine were just pipped by Linfield to a League and Cup double, however Healy himself walked away with a hat-trick of personal honours - winning Ulster Football of the Year, NI Footballer of the Year and NI PFA Player of the Year!!
Unsurprisingly, Felix also caught the eye of Northern Ireland manager Billy Bingham and he earned a call-up to the International squad - making 2 starting appearances in the 1982 British Championship before being included in the Northern Ireland squad for the World Cup in Spain later that year.
He played once in the Finals - coming on as a substitute to replace Martin O'Neill in the 1-1 draw with Honduras. He received his fourth and final cap in October 1982 against Austria in a European Championship Qualifier.
His seven seasons at Coleraine, whilst a personal success, was a lean time in terms of silverware with only two Gold Cup winners medals and two IFA Cup runners-up medals to show.
His final seasons at Coleraine however, also coincided the re-emergence of Derry City FC. Whilst still at Coleraine, Felix was even the lead vocalist on a Derry City FC record called 'Brandywell Pride'. The dream of pulling on the red and white jersey of his hometown club proved too much of a lure and he signed in July 1987 for a transfer fee of £10,000.
Felix Healy made his Derry City debut on his 32nd birthday against Scottish First Division side Clyde - scoring a goal in a 3-0 victory. His competitive debut followed against Finn Harps in the League Cup on August 23rd 1987.
In the following two seasons, Felix Healy was to play an integral part in bringing unprecedented success to his local club.
In 1988/89, his 8 League goals and his winning goal in the FAI Final against Cork City helped Derry City FC achieve a unique clean sweep of domestic trophies - bringing the Premier Division title, the FAI Cup and the League Cup to the Brandywell.
In those four seasons, he made 162 appearances as a player and scored 38 goals. He played in a six of Derry's European games during that period against Cardiff, Benfica and Vitesse Arnhem and he represented the League of Ireland against the Irish League.
On his return to the club as manager, he even made 2 further appearances as a player at the age of 41 - playing against Galway United in a League Cup tie, and against Omagh Town in the Irish News Cup.
| Felix Healy - Derry City Career (Player) | ||
| Season |
Appearances |
Goals |
| 1987/88 | 39 | 5 |
| 1988/89 | 44 | 7 |
| 1989/90 | 43 | 19 |
| 1990/91 | 36 | 7 |
| 1996/97 | 2 | - |
| Totals: | 164 |
38 |
Felix Healy's first foray into management saw him return to the Showgrounds, to take over the reins at Coleraine in October 1993.
Just over 12 months later, in December 1994, the then Derry City manager Tony O'Doherty announced that he would be stepping down and that brought Felix back once again to the Brandywell.
His impact at the club was almost immediate, almost guiding Derry City to the Premier Division title before cruelly losing it on the last day of the season. He did win some silverware that first season, clinching the club's second FAI Cup success, beating Shelbourne in the Final.
Felix began a clearout of the squad and put together an almost completely new team for the following season. His team of young, mostly local, players strolled to the Premier Division title in 1996/97 - winning the League by a massive 10 points. For the second season in a row, he was denied a double - losing out to Shelbourne in that season's FAI Cup Final.
Financial difficulties at the club however, prevented Felix from building on that success and he was to quit as manager in October 1998. He remained outside football until 2004 when he was surprisingly appointed as manager of another of his former clubs - Finn Harps. But Felix did it again! In his first season he guided Finn Harps to their first ever league title - the First Division Championship. The following season saw newly promoted Harps struggle in the Premier Division and mid-way through the season Felix was sacked as manager.
Since then, he has concentrated his efforts working in the media and can now be seen as a sometime controversial pundit on Setanta Sports' coverage of the local game.
At times. his forthright views may not have won him many friends within the Derry City support, however his contribution to the history of our club can never be underestimated.
© CityWeb 2006. Statistics courtesy of Brian Dunleavy.
