Living the DREAM
“It was a great feeling to finally lift the trophy and I remember the celebrations at the final whistle. It was like winning the World Cup!”
Northern Ireland’s record goalscorer David Healy reveals how the Dale Farm Milk Cup inspired him to achieve his dream.
The kid with the eye for goal always dreamed of being a professional footballer.
It’s an aspiration millions of young boys envisage as they kick a football in their back garden. The boy from Killyleagh in County Down was no different.
David Jonathan Healy went on to achieve his hopes and write himself into the annals of Northern Ireland football when he scored the goal to defeat England at Windsor Park almost exactly a decade ago en route to establishing himself as his country’s record goalscorer.
“It’s the stuff of dreams,” admits the former Milk Cup winner who felt he had stepped back in time to help conduct the draw for this year’s tournament when he took centrestage at W5 in Belfast last month.
Healy, whose career took him from Manchester United to Preston North End, Leeds United and Rangers among other clubs, says the tournament was the making of him.
"It still gives youngsters a world class stage to 14
play on. I was only just a teenage boy from Killyleagh who had been over to Old Trafford once or twice when I was asked to play for them at the Milk Cup.
“It was quite literally a dream come true for me to compete in front of my family and local people in my own country.
"We got all the way to the Junior final but lost 1-0 to Middlesbrough. It was an amazing week for me and what I learned back then in terms of experience stood me in good stead for the career I embarked on."
Healy went on to play in the event three times, winning the Elite title with Northern Ireland in 1997: “It was a great feeling to finally lift the trophy and I remember the celebrations at the final whistle. It was like winning the World Cup!”
David is now coaching for the Irish FA and has aspirations to become a manager: "It's a complete change learning how to be a coach and a manager. I am gaining all the requirements with the IFA courses and maybe some day further down the line I will opt for management but at the moment I am enjoying working with younger players and sharing my experiences."
The man who scored 36 goals in 95 appearances for Northern Ireland, also holds the record for the highest scoring tally during a UEFA Championship qualifying series with 13. His career also saw him have spells at Fulham, Sunderland and Bury in addition to loan spells with Port Vale, Norwich City, Ipswich Town and Doncaster Rovers.
He represented Northern Ireland at every youth level from Under-15 through to U-21. He is a legend among Northern Ireland supporters because of his remarkable goalscoring prowess and in 2008 he received an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his services to football.
David enjoyed his return to the Dale Farm Milk Cup spotlight and urged this year’s young hopefuls to seize their moment on the big stage and enjoy the occasion.
Also taking part in the draw at W5 was world famous football freestyle artist John Farnworth who has won both World and European titles in football freestyle and currently holds five Guinness world records. John’s performances have taken him worldwide to over 30 different countries including shows at the World Cup final, Champions League final, the Formula One Grand Prix and even the West End and Broadway stages.
He had just returned from Barcelona where he met his idol Neymar and dazzled the Brazilian star with his skills: “It was terrific to meet my idol and to be able to demonstrate some of my skills which he seemed to enjoy,” says John.
During his words of welcome, Jason Hempton, commercial director branded products at Dale Farm, said it was special to again be involved in backing the tournament. He congratulated the organisers and wished players, spectators and committee members an enjoyable and successful 33rd event. l
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100