There's been a lot of ups and downs, but that's part of game

COLIN HEALY ON LEADING KERRY'S CUP RUN AFTER CAREER OF HIGHS AND LOWS

- Garry DOYLE

BOYS IN GREEN: Colin Healy and Damien Duff on duty with Ireland

COLIN Healy stood in the technical area at Mounthawk Park and glanced at his stopwatch.

Twenty-five minutes had gone.

And so it seemed had his team’s hopes.

They were 2-0 down to Sligo Rovers and were showing evident signs of imposter syndrome, which is often the case when First Division teams face a side from Ireland's top tier.

But Healy wasn't going to accept that.

This was their pitch; Kerry soil. The least his team could do was show a sign of pride in who they were and where they were from.

So, he rolled the dice. First-half substitutions are rare in professional soccer.

Players consider them the ultimate insult. Healy didn't care.

He replaced Daniel O'Connor with Cian Brosnan, a move which sent out a message to the remaining 10 starters: up your game or else.

By halftime it was still 2-0.

And another message needed to be delivered, this one with his tongue.

Healy says: “There were hard words said at halftime.

“You want a reaction from the players but you are always aware that when you do something like that, that it can go one way or the other.

“They'll either go into a shell or perhaps they may say ‘no, that's not me’.

“Thankfully, against Sligo, they reacted the way I hoped they would.

“You see, my approach to management is that I don't want any excuses.

I want things done properly. ‘Don't take anything for granted. Give everything. Have no regrets!

“To their credit, those players never gave up.”

They didn't. Two nil became three nil to Sligo but still Kerry kept going.

Brosnan, that 27th minute substitute, ignited their comeback.

They made it 3-3 with a minute to go and then they won the game at the death in extra-time.

By some distance it was the biggest result in Kerry's young history.