'It astounds me' - David Healy's 'huge respect' for Irish League rivals past 2,000 games and 40 trophies
Within the present battle for Premiership progress, Linfield manager David Healy will tonight face, for the second time in seven days, both his past and potential future.
A midweek victory over defending Irish League champions Larne has left Linfield the chance to move top of the table before current leaders Coleraine next kick off tomorrow afternoon at Crusaders.
Blocking that boost for Blues boss Healy tonight at Shamrock Park will be a Portadown side under the management of David Jeffrey, a legendary figure now past 1,300 games in the Irish League dug-out.
This challenge comes after last weekend’s head-to-head with Carrick Rangers and, in Stephen Baxter, another member of the celebrated 1,000-plus manager’s club.
With 43 senior trophies secured collectively between Jeffrey and Baxter across decades on the training pitch and touchline, the fixture list has handed Healy some thrilling tests as he attempts to build on his own personal tally of six Irish League crowns since stepping into management in 2015.
Points may be the priority but the opportunity to take on the domestic game’s two most venerated elder statesmen in quickfire fashion has presented a natural moment of reflection for Healy given his long-standing history with both shaped by personal respect alongside professional rivalry.
“When I got first into the league, I'd met David on previous occasions, I'd seen Stephen – who was Crusaders manager at the time – in and around on coaching courses and things,” said Healy. “Those initial stages when I'd come in, Crusaders were champions and you were going up against somebody of that calibre and the team that they had...so it was always harder to get to really know people.
"But in the 11 years that I've been here, I've spoken to both managers at length at various different times when both of them have been in jobs at their clubs and both of them have been not in their jobs.
"Huge mutual respect for both and what they’ve accomplished, both as players and certainly as managers.
"As a young manager coming in they are people that you aspire to...you want to be successful and, having been in the job for the length of time that I have been, it astounds me that the two still have that hunger and desire.
"To get up and go to work at their clubs, they still have that desire considering the amount of success.
"I would imagine if the two of them wanted to sit back and do TV roles and whatever else, they're quite accomplished at both.
"But, to their credit, they're desperate still to win on a matchday.
"I would describe them as serial winners, both individually different in terms of the way they go about things.
"But, then again, you would probably see both very similar in the way they manage their football clubs.
"Huge respect from my point of view and, like Stephen and David, of course I want to do everything.
"I want to battle for every single inch but there's still a mutual understanding that we have, that mutual respect, between all of us.”