FELIX HEALY has both embraced and endured North-West derby heat in the past and was an interested observer when Finn Harps and Derry City clashed at Finn Park.
As a manager, Healy won a Premier Division title with Derry in 1997 and guided Harps to the First Division title in 2004, while he had a second spell at the helm in Ballybofey.
“It’s to the victor the spoils,” Healy said.
“Harps, on the night, had two or three chances and scored them and Derry had two or three chances but didn’t score them.
“The great thing for Ollie (Horgan, Harps manager) is that he won’t be fielding questions from journalists for the next five or six weeks: ‘When are you going to get the first win?’ The monkey is off the back.
“The confidence that will give… the place will be electric. They’re off and running now and they’ll take great confidence from it.”
Kenny Shiels, the Derry City manager, was very critical of the Finn Park pitch and actually asked for the game to be postponed beforehand, but Healy believes the surface could be a ‘leveller’ for Harps.
He said: “Everyone that will come here will find it difficult if the pitch is like that.
Overall, Dery tried to play on that pitch and you can’t play on that.”
Listen to the full interview below …
https://soundcloud.com/donegalsporthub-club-notes/felix-healy-on-north-west-derby
