Linfield boss David Healy says the Irish League has lost a “brilliant, brilliant” striker following Andy Waterworth’s decision to end his playing career at the age of 36.
Waterworth, who played for the Blues, Glentoran, Ards, Glenavon, Lisburn Distillery, Kilmore Rec and Scottish side Hamilton, confirmed his retirement at the weekend.
The mobile marksman scored 293 goals in 675 games in a glittering career spanning almost 20 years, with 190 of those goals coming during a successful eight-year spell at Linfield.
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Healy, who was Waterworth’s manager for six seasons, said: “Andy was a brilliant, brilliant player for this football club.
“He was also a brilliant player for me. I know Andy used to think that I maybe always picked on him or that we didn’t have that sort of bond or relationship.
“But it was maybe only when he started getting into the latter stages of his career and going into the coaching side of things that he realised how much respect I had for him.
“As both a player and a person, I couldn’t speak highly enough about Andy. He was brilliant on the pitch and also in and around the dressing room.”
Waterworth won an array of medals during his playing career, including four league titles with Linfield and one as a Glentoran player in 2009.
Other highlights included scoring a brace for the Glens in a 3-1 Irish Cup final win over Cliftonville in 2013 and a hat-trick for Linfield in the 2017 showpiece against Coleraine.
Healy, who retired from playing at the age of 34 in 2013, said: “If Andy has decided that now is the right time to hang up his boots, he can look back fondly on his time at Linfield.
“He also had a good career before he came to this club and scored a helluva lot of goals in the Irish League.
“It’ll be a disappointing day for Andy and I can put myself in his shoes because I remember retiring as a player, but the good thing is Andy has made the call.
“He is also making it for the right reasons and I wish him well because I feel he has the potential to go on and be someone very high up in the Irish FA.”
Waterworth, who spent last season with Glenavon after leaving Linfield in the summer of 2021, was appointed new head of the Irish FA JD Academy last summer.
The Crossgar man admitted on Saturday that he realised last season that continuing his playing career wasn't viable with the increased work commitments of his new role.
"I have no doubt in my mind that this current role is my future," he said. "I love coaching the game - it is a passion of mine - and now is the time for me to dedicate my time to the Irish FA."
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