Soccer

Back in the day: In The Irish News on December 23 1996: Derry boss and Bohs defender see red after half-time fight

TEMPERS FLARE: Bohemians defender James Coll and Derry manager Felix Healy were both sent off after a half-time flare up during their crucial League of Ireland clash at Brandywell
TEMPERS FLARE: Bohemians defender James Coll and Derry manager Felix Healy were both sent off after a half-time flare up during their crucial League of Ireland clash at Brandywell TEMPERS FLARE: Bohemians defender James Coll and Derry manager Felix Healy were both sent off after a half-time flare up during their crucial League of Ireland clash at Brandywell

DERRY CITY manager Felix Healy and Bohemians centre back James Coll were both dismissed after an amazing half-time fight in the Candystripes’ 1-0 win at Brandywell.

And although Healy described the altercation, which took place on the field and in full view of the crowd as little more than “handbags at six paces,” it was more than that and there may be greater repercussions ahead for both.

Healy approached referee Pat Dempsey as the players were leaving the field to complain about Coll’s treatment of Derry’s Gary Beckett. Healy contended that three or four of Coll’s tackles were worthy of a yellow card, but the tough tackling Scot reached the interval without being cautioned.

Taking exception to what was being said Coll squared up to Healy and after a spot of tooing and froing punches were exchanged and both were dismissed.

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KEVIN KEEGAN takes his faltering Newcastle side into battle against title favourites Liverpool tonight warning: “Only our best will do.”

Keegan knows nothing short of a five-star performance will halt leaders Liverpool who would go 10 points clear of the Magpies with a victory at St James’ Park.

Liverpool are the team of the moment while fifth-placed Newcastle have gone five Premiership games without a win and taken only one point from visits to Premiership strugglers Nottingham Forest and Coventry. Keegan believes Newcastle have only played to their full potential twice this season, in the October demolition jobs against Manchester United and Ferencvaros, and is praying they will be firing on all cylinders against the Reds.

“We have only picked up one point in our last two away games and this is really not good enough if we have aspirations to be champions,” admitted Keegan.

“That’s why our match with Liverpool is a very big game and we know we’ll have to be at our very best if we’re going to get anything out of it.”

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ULSTER’S erratic rugby challenge in the Insurance Corporation All-Ireland league continued on Saturday with Ballymena breaking their division one ‘duck’ just as the side’s conquerors the previous week, Dungannon, crashed to a humiliating defeat in Limerick.

Former Springbok Nelie Smith cast a long shadow over Eaton Park as the home side, still far from fullstrength, served up a grafting 16-9 home win over an Old Crescent team which has now slumped to a third successive loss.

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BARCELONA are only two points behind Spanish league leaders Real Madrid after a scrappy 1-0 home win over Celta Vigo.

Barcelona’s game did not prompt the demonstrations against club management which had been expected after a week of dressing room upheavals, but fans did jeer when captain Gheorghe Popescu missed a first half penalty. A goal by Miguel Angel Nadal sealed the points.

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FORMER Spurs star Jurgen Klinsmann has come under attack in a newspaper column written by his own club captain – former Germany skipper Lothar Matthaeus.

The German media has been filled with reports in recent weeks that Klinsmann wants to leave Bayern Munich because of ill feeling between himself and teammates, in particular Matthaeus.

In a column in yesterday’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper, Matthaeus wrote: “We are all suffering when he says in November he is going to stay, then in December he says he wants to go and then in January it will be something else.

“In the team, the players keep asking: Is he staying? Is he going? Or is he going to stay after all? I simply have to demand that he makes a clear decision.”