Adrian Heath

Adrian Paul Heath ( born January 11, 1961 in Stoke -on-Trent ) is an English former football player and current coach. The diminutive attacking midfielder who could also be used as a striker, was considered technically versed and equipped with a good overview. With Everton he reported the mid- 1980s, his greatest success, when in 1984 he won the FA Cup in 1985 and 1987 two English championships and. Later he moved into coaching specialist and is mainly since the late 2000s in the U.S. football go.

Sports career

Playing career

Stoke City (1979-1982)

Heath completed his first professional football games for Stoke City. Even before signing a professional contract in January 1979, he had in October 1978 against Fulham ( 0-2) in the first team, which was playing in the second division, made its debut. As you climb after the 1978/79 season was a total of two second- division inserts Although only a marginal figure, but arrived in the English top flight, he developed there in the next two years for regular players. He contributed five and in the second year with six league goals to the fact that the " Potter " initially quite scarce in the league and then won a comfortable eleventh place with a balanced score. Other five goals get Heath at the beginning of the 1981/82 season before he left Stoke City ultimately. For this purpose he had in the English U- 21 team to a fixed size develops later ( 2:3 after a 3-1 first leg victory ) made in 1982 against Germany a contribution to winning the title with its use in the final leg of the European Championship.

Everton FC (1982-1988)

For 700,000 pounds moved " Inchy " as Heath was named given its small body size, in January 1982 to Everton. In the team of just 35 -year-old coach Howard Kendall, who had begun to draw since the beginning of the 1981/82 season to the fate of the " Toffees " he was beginning timidly his role. Since he was neither a striker traditional character still an ordinary midfielder, he had to contend with starting difficulties, ended up being the middle of the 1980s, one of the key players in a team, won the numerous important titles. Yet his name is particularly associated with two factors. In his first sporting highlight he made in January 1984 for a late equalizer against Oxford United, who was considered by many Everton supporters at this time as the starting point on the way to the following titles - about a possible dismissal of Kendall has been speculation in case of defeat. A few months later he made the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a header against FC Southampton for the 1-0 winning goal in extra time, making the FC Everton after 16 years again reached the cup final for the first time, which in turn was obtained with Heath against FC Watford and the club the first "Major Title" brought after 1970.

At the beginning of the following season 1984/85 Heath showed strong and dimensionally scored eleven goals in 17 league games before a knee injury put him out of a fight with Brian Marwood from Sheffield Wednesday for the rest of the season out of action. Thus he missed from both the crucial phase when winning the English Championship 1985 as well as all the games and including the quarter-finals on his way to victory in the European Cup Winners' Cup competition. In addition, the Blessur prevented a possible nomination in the A-team of the England team.

Had less than a missed title defense in the 1985/86 season as runner-up in the Heath stood in 24 of 36 league games in the starting lineup, he found in the season 1986/87 to its role as key players back. To win his second British championship he contributed eleven goals and was behind Trevor Steven and Kevin Sheedy third best scorer of Everton FC. A little more than a year after that he acted in Liverpool before he moved to Spanish side Espanyol Barcelona in November 1988.

Recent career stations (1988-1996)

The time in Barcelona was for Heath under an unlucky star. He rose with the club, who seemed collectively insecure since the UEFA Cup Final defeat in 1988, of the Primera División and returned in August 1989 to England - the statistics recorded only one league goal in 24 operations during his Spain Tour.

At his next stop Aston Villa he found neither his fortune and was largely no longer used after eight starting appearances in the first nine league games by coach Graham Turner. Shortly after the turn of 1990/91 Heath moved to Manchester City, where he again met with coach Kendall, who furthermore undertook a number of other former companions of the successful Everton - time. Especially in the subsequent 1991/92 season made by Niall Quinn a konstrastreiche storm partnership and in contrast to the tall and strong header Quinn sat Heath more on his speed and agility. Criticized this was the part of the trailer to its low strike rate, which is particularly manifested itself in a " lull " of 46 games without a goal and steady demand for the popular Clive Allen triggered. During the 1991/92 season Heath lost his starting place to Mike Sheron and in March 1992 he went back for a short time to Stoke City, which is now only played in the third division. In the remaining encounters with Stoke Heath reached the play-off games in which he has already failed at Stockport County in the semi-finals.

Transfer fee free Heath went in August 1992 then to the third league rivals FC Burnley. There he showed in the first two years form strong, recorded in the 1992/93 season with 19 league goals, the highest yield in his active career and increased the next year to the second division on. In the 1994/95 season he was more moved to a role just behind the two strikers, resulting in a reduction of his goal tally result. For this he was injured seriously on the Achilles tendon, which is why he had to pause from March 1995, and thus the crucial matches missed by descent. As a coach, Jimmy Mullen reluctant to put him back in the following season 1995/96, Heath took in December 1995 for a third time, the opportunity to work with Howard Kendall true and hired the second division club Sheffield United. The experiment, however there lasted barely more than two months and after only five substitutions, he returned to Burnley, where they had offered him the position of the player coach. With some tactical changes, but improved only slightly at the results he achieved the tight league. After two substitutions at the start of the 1996/97 season he ended his playing career. At the end of the season, he finished with the " Clarets " ninth, after which it inherited Chris Waddle in his office.

Coaching career

Two years after the first " tentative steps " as player-coach, he was engaged as chief manager of Sheffield United before the start of season 1999 /2000. Just five months later, he left the club again. Later he worked with his close friend and former Everton teammate Peter Reid together as part of its commitment to the AFC Sunderland, Leeds United and Coventry City and took over at last -called club after the dismissal of Reid in January 2005 on an interim basis the role. Then he remained under Reid's successor Micky Adams active for Coventry City and served the club in January and February 2007, once again as a temporary athletic director. As Iain Dowie was then obliged Heath ended time in Coventry.

His professional career took Heath after the U.S. soccer when he coaches the newly founded club Austin Aztex was in February 2008. The club, who played in the USL -1 and had relations with the English club Stoke City was relocated three years later to Florida. There he joined from now on as Orlando City SC and won in 2011 with coach Heath in the USL Professional Division newly established - behind the MLS and the NASL, the third highest football league - the championship.

Title / Awards

English Championship (2): 1985, 1987
English Cup ( 1): 1984
Charity shield (4): 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987
U-21 European Championship ( 1): 1982
USL Pro Championship ( 1 ): 2011

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