The Heath FC 

Published: 4 June, 2015
by STEVE BARNETT

YOUNG footballers from The Heath FC will be confident that they’ll be among the teams netting glory next season after adding a secret weapon to their training schedule. 

Manager Stephen O’Brennan praised the boys “commitment and willingness” off the pitch as they continually seek out ways to improve their skills. But when he returned from a football seminar in America with a brand new challenge for his team, Stephen had no idea just how addicted to it the boys would become. 

“I introduced the boys to the My Soccer Moves app, which I uncovered during my travels. They’ve been glued to it, and over the last six weeks have used it again and again as part of their training.  The app is designed to help improve their technical skills, promote healthy competition between players and encourage them to practise skills without it feeling like training.

“It offers points and rewards for achieving different skill levels, and there’s always more challenges to unlock so they certainly won’t get bored.” 

The Under-12s put their new-found skills into practice when they travelled to the south coast to tackle teams from across the country in the Weymouth Mayday Classic Football Tournament. 

Cool hand looks: Sam Thornton (left) and Jonelle Hall scope out the app

The Heath gave a convincing performance throughout the weekend competition, with hotshot Corie Alexander bagging six goals along the way to fire them into the final, while resolute defender Harry Murtagh put in some great tackles to earn valuable clean sheets. 

A gripping final saw the boys narrowly lose 6-5 on penalties against Bush Mead Rovers after the game finished1-1 in normal time. 

The players weren’t disappointed for too long, as they were presented with their runners-up trophy by former Arsenal, West Ham and Celtic striker John Hartson, who congratulated them on their efforts to reach the finals for the second year in a row. 

• Anyone interested in downloading the app can get the full monty by visiting www.mysoccermoves.com