David Healy feels the tragic loss of both Michael Newberry and Paul Butler as still fresh on everyone’s minds at Linfield – with the manager opening up over his sense of personal responsibility towards awareness how “different complications” may affect players and staff.

The Blues were plunged into grief in June last year following the sudden death of long-serving club physiotherapist Paul Butler, who had been with the club for 15 years.

Paul is survived by his wife Rachael and their three young children.

The local football fraternity was then left devastated following the news that Michael also died suddenly on December 30 last year – the date of his 27th birthday.

placeholder image — Linfield manager David Healy (second left) and club staff paying tribute in January to former player Michael Newberry just days after his passing. (Photo by Andrew McCarroll/ Pacemaker Press)

Michael, a former Newcastle United academy player, went on to play professionally with Iceland’s Víkingur Ólafsvík then in Northern Ireland for Linfield and Cliftonville.

To mark the first anniversary of Michael’s death, a Memorial Walk has been arranged by Cliftonville supporters from Windsor Park to Solitude on Sunday, December 28.

This will then be followed by the Michael Newberry Memorial Cup nine-a-side tournament from 12pm at Solitude.

Funds raised will go towards Action Mental Health and T.A.M.H.I.

And Healy recently reflected on the growing mental health challenges facing modern society.

"It's over a year since we lost Paul...a brilliant person, a brilliant physio and a brilliant staff member,” he said. "And then to get the devastating news of a young man again in Michael.

"I think society at the moment is struggling with it, certainly in Northern Ireland...I think we're through the roof in terms of mental health (issues) and the understanding of self-awareness on challenging matters, where everybody can be challenged, can be feeling the challenges in different ways."

While managers are often judged solely on results, Healy stressed the importance of recognising the personal challenges faced by players and staff away from football.

He explained: "You're always wary...at different times they (players and staff) all have different complications in life.

"They all have different family matters...some have kids, some have wives, some have partners, some have mums and dads, brothers and sisters maybe going through challenging times.

"And sometimes they have to be there for them.

"As a manager, it's about me being personally aware of some of the challenges that they have and then how can I help and how can I deal with that?

"It's an ongoing process...it's not something that we sit down on a daily basis and discuss but there's moments throughout where we talk about past tense, we talk about Paul, we talk about Michael.”

Healy added that the club remains in close contact with both families.

"As a club, we liaise with the Butler family and we're still in contact with Michael's dad, Michael,” he continued. "So they're never too far away from what you think.

"And that's a constant theme which will never go away because of the popularity of Paul and Michael in and around our dressing room.

"Our thoughts, as always, go to the Butler family and the Newberry family at this challenging time.

"It's important for me as a person (those connections)...I take that on board as the manager of the football club, the manager of Michael, the manager of Paul.

"It's something that, again, it's important to me that I make sure that I check in every now and again to make sure that all are doing well."