Healy: David Jonathan (David)

2004-2007 (Player Details)

Forward

Born: Killyleagh: 05-08-1979

Debut: v Wigan Athletic (h): 31-10-2004

5’8” 10st 9lb (2007)

Healy was raised in Killyleagh, and played for Crossgar, Lisburn Youth and Down Academy High School in Downpatrick. After being a Trainee from November 1997, he signed for Manchester United in August 1999, just four days before his twentieth birthday. He made his debut for the Manchester United first team in a League Cup tie away to Aston Villa on 13th October 1999 as a substitute. In February 2000 he was loaned to Port Vale, but before playing for them he made his international debut. He made sixteen appearances, one as a substitute, for Port Vale, scoring three goals. He also had a loan spell at Fortuna Sittard. In the following season he made a second appearance in the League Cup (as a ninetieth minute substitute in a game that went into extra-time), and he made his EPL debut on 28th November 2000 as a second half substitute in a 2–0 victory over Ipswich Town. This was to be his last of three substitute appearances for United as he signed for Preston North End on loan on 29th December 2000, and the deal, with a fee of £1,500,000, was made permanent five days later. In the remainder of the 2000-01 season, Healy made twenty-six appearances, including three as a substitute, for Preston and scored ten goals. He was a virtual ever-present in the 2001-02, appearing in forty-four League games, nine as a substitute, and scoring ten goals. In the 2002-03 season he was less successful and by the end of January 2003 he had made twenty-four League appearances, twelve as a substitute, but scored only five goals. Healy joined Norwich City, managed by Nigel Worthington, on a month's loan at the end of January; in the end he stayed for the remainder of that season, but in thirteen appearances, three as a substitute, for the Canaries he scored only two goals. However, in 2003-04, he returned to Preston and netted fifteen times in forty-one matches. In total, in the League, he played one hundred and thirty-nine times, including thirty-five as substitute, for North End and scored forty-five goals. In all gamesl Healy made one hundred and twenty-one starts, came on as a substitute thirty-six times and scored forty-five goals. Healy joined Leeds United on 29th October 2004 for a reported fee of £650,000, quickly becoming a fans' favourite. In his first season at Leeds, he was the club's joint top scorer alongside Brian Deane with seven goals. He followed this by finishing joint top scorer in the 2005-06 season with Rob Hulse on fourteen goals and then finished the following 2006-07 season as top scorer with ten goals. He left for Fulham after the 2006–07 season because of Leeds United's relegation from the CCCL after the club entered administration. Healy reunited with ex-Northern Ireland boss and then Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez on 13th July 2007 from cash strapped Leeds United for an undisclosed fee, reportedly around £1.5million. He scored his first goal for Fulham in a pre-season friendly against South China in the Asia Trophy, with a low diving header. In his first match for Fulham in the Premiership, Healy repaid Sanchez's faith in him with a goal against Arsenal after fifty seconds play on debut. In his stay with Fulham he never established himself as a first team regular. He scored four League goals in thirty games of which fifteen were as a substitute, scored once in two F.A. Cup starts and scored one in two League Cup matches, one of which was from the bench. He joined Sunderland on 21st August 2008, but, as at the end of the 2009-10 had never started a League game. However he had scored once in thirteen games from the bench, once in four F.A. Cup games of which two were as substitute, and once in four League Cup games, three of which were from the bench. He was loaned out to Ipswich Town on 1st February 2010 for the rest of the season and he scored once in five League starts and a further seven off the bench. He made his debut for Northern Ireland in February 2000, in a friendly against Luxembourg, scoring two goals. He was still only twenty years old. He had made his debut appearance for Manchester United the previous October, and had just joined Port Vale on loan. His competitive international debut came in September 2000, in a World Cup qualifying game against Malta, and he scored his first competitive goal for his country a month later against Denmark. On 6th June 2004, in a friendly game away to Trinidad and Tobago, he scored his thirteenth and fourteenth goals for Northern Ireland, thus equalling and overtaking Colin Clarke's record for the country. It was his thirty-fifth international. On 7th September 2005, at Windsor Park, Healy secured a famous victory for his country against England when he scored the only goal of the game. He achieved his fiftieth cap against Finland in August 2006. In this game he captained his country for the first time and scored his twentieth international goal. On 6th September 2006, Healy became the first man since Colin Clarke to score a hat-trick for Northern Ireland and the first since George Best to do so in Belfast. His three goals gave Northern Ireland an historic 3–2 victory over Spain. Healy followed this feat with the winner against Latvia on 11th October 2006. In the following international game, against Liechtenstein, he scored a second hat-trick, making him the first player ever to score two hat-tricks for Northern Ireland. He scored both of Northern Ireland's goals in a 2–1 win against Sweden on 28th March 2007, and two more against Liechtenstein on 22nd August 2007, followed by a penalty away to Iceland on 12th September 2007. On 17th November 2007, when he scored against Denmark, it was his thirteenth goal in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group F tournament (in eleven games). This made him the highest-ever goalscorer in a UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign. The previous record, of twelve goals in ten games, had been held by Davor Suker of Croatia since 1996. Healy's goalscoring exploits have made him one of the most popular players ever to appear for Northern Ireland. Up to the end of the 2008-09 season he had scored thirty-five goals in seventy-two appearances for his country. Only Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker, Jimmy Greaves and David Owen (all of England) have scored more goals for the various international sides of the British Isles. He has also represented Northern Ireland at Youth Level, eight times at Under-twenty-one, scoring four times, and once in “B” internationals. He was given the MBE in the 2008 Birthday honours list.