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Jacob Corson-Heron determined to shake off his injury nightmare

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Jacob Corson-Heron will be determined to shake off his injury nightmare next season, after deciding on a return to English Premier League outfit Manchester Phoenix. The 22-year forward spent eight weeks on the sidelines last year, after breaking his collarbone - and then his jaw - in separate incidents. But Corson-Heron, who has signed a one-year extension to his contract in Manchester, returned in time to score a crucial goal against Basingstoke in the play-off semi-final.

And the young playmaker wants to continue the momentum generated by that late strike in Hampshire.

He said: “It was frustrating to have those injuries, but thankfully I still managed to play 39 games. Scoring that goal against Basingstoke meant so much to me and the rest of guys. It was quite early in the game, but it gave us the confidence to get back into the tie. We had our heads down a little bit after losing the first leg and a few of the Bison guys were quite cocky in the warm-up. It felt so good to knock the stuffing out of Basingstoke with that goal and get through to Coventry.”

Corson-Heron, who spent two seasons with the Bison before moving to Manchester in 2013, had few qualms about helping his side to a long-awaited victory at the Silverdome.

He added: “When I was in Basingstoke for my first year, which was four years ago, Manchester only won once. The Phoenix hadn’t won there since, so it was brilliant to win there when it counted the most.”

Part of that build-up to next season includes a summer of fitness training in the gym, as the former Milton Keynes star looks to hit the ground running.

“I’m in a good place with my fitness at the moment, so the best thing is to keep on working throughout the summer,” he said.

“I live in Manchester now, so if I’m not at work, I am in the gym. That has given me the opportunity to throw myself into getting fitter and concentrate on being the best I can be.”

Corson-Heron’s success next season will depend, in part, on Head Coach Tony Hand’s decision on where he fits into the Phoenix squad.

He said: “Tony was on the bench a couple of times last season, and the kind of things he said really helped me out. He has done so much in his career, so I want to use his help as much as possible. Having him on the bench full time will be a big help for the team, and I can see us doing really well.”