Leeds United got their money's worth from £650k Preston raid even if it ended in heartbreak: View | OneFootball

In the mid-2000s, Leeds United were going through intense financial issues which saw the club start to slide down the leagues, but David Healy was still a shining light.

The Whites were relegated to the Championship in 2004, and would also be relegated to League One in 2007.

It was a decade full of a few highs and many lows for the club, coming close to returning to the top flight in 2006 when they reached the Championship play-off final but lost to Watford.

During this turbulent time in Yorkshire, Healy brought some positivity, and more importantly, goals to Elland Road, even if it did not end well.

Leeds signed David Healy in a bargain deal from Preston

Healy arrived at Leeds in October 2004 from Preston North End for a fee of £650,000 after wanting to move, following Leeds' relegation from the Premier League.

The striker was Leeds’ joint top-scorer in his first season with the club, scoring seven goals along with Brian Deane, with the club drifting to mid-table back in the Championship.

The 2005/06 season would go better, as Leeds reached the play-off final, missing out on promotion to Watford. Healy scored 14 goals, doubling his tally from the previous season and becoming a driving force for the Whites. He would miss out on a start in the 3-0 play-off final defeat.

The 2006/07 season saw Healy once again become Leeds’ top scorer for the campaign with ten goals, but the season did not go as anyone would have expected and the previous year's fourth-best side were relegated as the financial backdrop worsened.

David Healy’s time at Leeds would end in heartbreak

Unfortunately for Healy and Leeds, the Whites would end the 2006/07 season by being relegated to the third tier for the first time in the club’s history.

Following their drop to League One, Healy would move on, joining Fulham in the Premier League for a reported fee of £1.5 million.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post in 2020 about his time with Leeds, Healy expressed regret regarding how his final season went with the relegation.

He said: "We should never have been relegated with the squad of players we had. I felt huge embarrassment, not only from being captain but because I had joined Leeds to get into the Premier League. To find yourself being relegated was a huge embarrassment. I felt disbelief that Leeds were relegated to League One.

"My last game was the Ipswich game, it was Derby away the week after and I knew from the way the club was speaking to me (I'd be sold). By no means was it me pushing to get out the door, if someone had turned round and said you’re not going anywhere, I’d have stayed, one hundred per cent. I felt I had unfinished business at Leeds."

It is unfortunate that Healy’s spell ended the way it did, it was a heartbreaking end to his second season and even worse 12 months later. However, he will be remembered fondly by Leeds fans for his contributions in what was a tough time and the way he speaks about the club almost two decades after his exit, underlines his love for the Whites.