Douglas Hall youngster makes Sky News after training routine goes wrong

An under-11 soccer player from Cork has struck internet fame after a video of his skills training produced some smashing results.

John James Dollard Young was observing the social distancing guidelines at his home and practising his one-touch finishes, when he didn't quite get the old knee over the ball on one effort, with disastrous results, much to the lad's comical dismay.

John James Dollard Young from our U11's working on his shooting today, not everything goes to plan... (Sound on!🔊)
Its all made up for in the next video though! 💛💙@SFAIreland @corksl @barrysofdouglas @CoerverMunster pic.twitter.com/cb6XGWXGO1

— Douglas Hall AFC/LFC (@DouglasHallAFC) March 19, 2020

At least the internet enjoyed it, with Westlife singer Nicky Byrne getting involved. The video currently has almost 25,000 views and been featured on Sky News.

And to be fair to John James, here's show of his talent 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/VoPfKPpDPk

— Douglas Hall AFC/LFC (@DouglasHallAFC) March 20, 2020

Like so many young footballers around the country, the Cork boys have been using the downtime from school and training to hone their skills.

Club secretary Colm Lyons says all the underage coaches have been encouraging the boys and girls to keep active.

"It's strange to see the pitches so quiet, " Colm says. "It will be especially so on Saturday when they are always such a hive of activity. But the SFAI challenge has been great. And lots of the kids have been out kicking a bit of ball and making little videos."

The Schoolboy Football Association of Ireland has put together a 12-day skills challenge with lots of tricks and skills for young footballers to perfect.

Here's the full list of challenges:

Our friends in the @SFAIreland have some great drills to help young players pass the time at home - please feel free to share @philhenrymgl @aoibhall @nicoleplunkett3 @FionaDoyle55 @ONeills1918 @ndsleague2015 pic.twitter.com/qJIa48Mhjv

— Metropolitan Girls League (@Metro_Girls) March 20, 2020

And here's another Douglas Hall youngster strutting his stuff with a tidy dribble and finish.

🎥Ronan Chandley of our U7s practicing his skills at home, brilliant skill and a great finish too⚽ well done Ronan! 💛💙@barrysofdouglas @corksl @SFAIreland @CoerverMunster pic.twitter.com/gwvHNL5vLk

— Douglas Hall AFC/LFC (@DouglasHallAFC) March 19, 2020