Happy Irish League boss still has 'keep him hungry' approach to in-form forward with five goals over three Premiership fixtures
On-song striker Brian Healy walked off the field on Saturday with five goals in three league games – but an appearance cut short by Cliftonville boss Jim Magilton to help “keep him hungry”.
Having hit a goal double the previous week in Dungannon to build on kicking off the scoring spark against Portadown, Healy fired home another brace in Cliftonville’s record-breaking 7-1 success over Carrick Rangers.
That delight in Dungannon helped Cliftonville stop the rot after six successive league defeats and another weekend spot on the scoresheet by Healy led Magilton’s Reds to a welcome home win that marked the biggest-ever margin of victory against Carrick.
However, Healy’s hopes of taking home the hat-trick ball were cut short when Magilton took off the club’s current leading scorer to bring on Joe Gormley, the club’s all-time leading scorer.
"Big game Tuesday (Senior Shield semi-final home to Bangor)...keep him hungry,” Magilton highlighted on BBC Radio Ulster’s Sportsound. "He's done really, really well even through that lean spell...there was a lot of criticism outside and inside here where people were looking at him.
"I always have great faith in these lads and continue to do so...it takes time to rebuild.
"It takes time for players to settle into a new club, especially a club like ours.
"Brian has always had this wonderful knack and great quality and it's just giving him the confidence to go and do that and he's repaying that now.
"And there's so much more to come."
Another substitute, Rhyss Campbell, joined Healy as a two-goal Reds scorer – with Liam McStravick, Rory Hale and Ben Quinn adding to the Cliftonville tally.
Danny Gibson grabbed the Carrick goal in a first-half 4-1 scoreline.
"We played really well today...our movement and our quality in the final third - excellent,” said Magilton. "I was disgusted with the (Carrick) goal...I always talk about standards and I always talk about the performance levels.
"I wanted us to be better with the ball at times and, listen, that's not me being cocky in any way, shape or form.
"I was delighted with seven goals because Carrick Rangers...fantastic manager, quality players, great experience.
"You don't expect that but it was our day today where things fell to us...our creative play and the final third - fantastic.
CLIFTONVILLE: Peter Morrison, Aaron Wightman, Oliver Samuels, Rory Hale, Shaun Leppard, Dean McMaster, Ben Quinn, Alex Bannon, Liam McStravick, Joe Sheridan. Subs: Jacob Cremen-Cowan, Rhyss Campbell, Luke Conlan, Kyle McClelland, Joel Thompson, Joe Gormley, Ryan Corrigan.
CARRICK RANGERS: Nathan Gartside, Kym Nelson, Jordan Forsythe, Jimmy Callacher, Seanan Clucas, Daniel Gibson, Adam Lecky, Luke McCullough, Aidan Steele, Paul Heatley, Caleb Hawthorne. Subs: Dylan Agnew, Daire O'Connor, Joe Moore, Kyle Cherry, James Crown, Luke Connelly, Mason Carlisle.