The Rhys Healey interview: Working under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the influence of Jay Catton and my rise from the Cymru Alliance

Rhys Healey always had dreams of making it as a professional footballer, but playing in the bright lights of the Premier League was a distant one.

After all, the heights of England’s top-flight seemed a world away when Healey was plying his trade in the Cymru Alliance – the second tier of Welsh football – just eight years ago.

It has been an eventful journey for the striker, one which has seen him make sacrifices – the biggest of them all was when he decided to up sticks and move out of the family home as a teenager. That journey has since taken him from Cardiff to Colchester and Dundee to Milton Keynes.

But it was at Connah’s Quay Nomads, playing alongside his friends, where it all began.

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Healey’s raw talent was spotted by Nomads director Jay Catton, a long-standing club servant of more than 24 years, who encouraged the teenager to join the youth setup when he took a break from football following a spell with Rochdale.

“They were a huge part of my development,” he says, as he recalls his memories in Deeside.

“I was at the age where I didn’t know if I was going to take it to the next level. And as a young lad, you keep changing your mind as you get older about whether you are going to make it.

“I’ve got to give credit to Jay Catton because he pushed me and my old man to get me down to training.

“I went down to training and literally signed on the day. From that day I haven’t looked back and that’s all credit to Jay.

“He pushed me by getting me in the gym and dropping me to training when my dad couldn’t. I kicked on from there.”

After falling to relegation from the Welsh top-flight when the league was restructured from 18 to 12 teams in the 2010-11 season, former Wrexham defender Mark McGregor, then player-manager at the Nomads, guided the club to the Cymru Alliance title in the following campaign.

However, the club failed to obtain a domestic licence, which saw them miss out on promotion back to the then Welsh Premier League.

But that presented Healey with the opportunity to feature in the second tier, and he went on to help the club regain the Cymru Alliance title before they were granted permission to return to the top-flight after achieving a licence.

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He had impressed during his first season with the senior team, ensuring McGregor continued to pick the youngster for their first campaign back in the WPL.

“That season I was just playing with freedom,” he says.

“I was playing with a few friends each week and it just turned out to be a good season.

“I didn’t realise how competitive the league was on until I scored about 15 goals and people were saying ‘you’re doing really well at such a young age’.

“I didn’t realise how well I was doing with the ex-professionals that you get in that league.”

Having notched 12 goals in 19 league appearances, Healey’s performances in the first half of the season had not gone unnoticed. The striker began attracting interest from several Football League clubs and, by January 2013, his time with the Nomads had come to an end.

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It was Cardiff City, then managed by Malky Mackay, who had monitored his progress before signing him on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

But the move may never have proceeded, had Healey not been prepared to take a step out of his comfort zone and make the move from north Wales down to the capital.

“Funnily enough I was in college at the time,” he laughs.

“I got a phone call off Jay and he said Cardiff City wanted to sign me. As a young player, I was like ‘yes, let’s do it’. Then he said ‘you need to go down tomorrow’.

“I told my dad and his wife and they were over the moon. We got in the car and went straight down and signed. I was really scared for the first few days because I had to live in digs.

“It was tough because I needed to grow up quicker than I should’ve.

“I was lucky that the people I was with were unbelievable with me and the club gave me the platform to perform where I am today. I’m grateful to Cardiff City.”

Healey had to bide his time – 468 days to be precise – before he finally made his first senior appearance for the Bluebirds. But it proved to be worth the wait as the striker was handed his debut by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, one of his boyhood heroes, when he replaced Craig Bellamy on the final day of the 2013-14 season against Chelsea.

A few seasons ago he was pitching up against Porthmadog, Penrhyncoch and Llangefni Town. Now, he was rubbing shoulders with the likes of Fernando Torres, Eden Hazard and Mo Salah.

“It was a dream come true. You don’t expect to get there when you’re growing up but that’s what you dream of,” he recalls.   

“I got told the night before that I was on the bench and I literally couldn’t sleep. I was pinching myself. But I embraced the moment when the manager told me I was coming on, so it was a memory I will always remember.

“As a striker, I used to watch him [Solskjaer] growing up, so it was surreal seeing him every day.

“Getting a few lessons off a striker of that calibre was a dream come true – I was grateful for that opportunity that I got with him.”

Loan spells with Colchester United, Dundee, Newport County and MK Dons followed, before Healey joined the latter on a permanent deal last summer.

He was enjoying the best season in front of goal since leaving the Nomads, having scored 12 goals for the League One side before the coronavirus pandemic brought football to a grinding halt.

His goals helped steer Russell Martin’s side clear of the relegation zone when the EFL made the decision to curtail the season, which he admits was difficult to take.

“I was doing really well and enjoying myself,” he says.

“I was a bit gutted that it came to an end but on the other side, I had an injury before I hit form.

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“But it’s been very strange and tough as well. You have to keep yourself fit and that seems to be the hardest thing to do when you’re on your own, especially keeping yourself motivated and positive.

“I’ve been playing golf. That keeps me busy because it’s an all-day sport. I’ve just been getting myself out of the house by playing football and doing some running. I’ve been keeping my mind fresh ready for when we’re allowed to go back.

“The break has allowed me to be fit and ready for next season.”

It has been a well-travelled journey since turning out for the Nomads in the Cymru Alliance, but would he ever consider making a return to Deeside before hanging up his boots?

“It’s tough to say but opportunities could take me back to North Wales where my dad lives. I would probably consider it but I would only go to one team.

“That’s Connah’s Quay.”

[Featured image: Nikitas Mesney of NCM Media]