CHERRIES' goalkeeping destiny is in safe hands with Neil Moss.

The popular Dean Court stopper is hoping to unearth future talent after starting up a goalkeeper coaching school.

Between The Sticks is run by Moss and vastly experienced Cherries Centre of Excellence coaches Robbie Yates and Andy Marsh.

Barton-on-Sea-born Moss has spent 15 years in the professional ranks serving Cherries and Saints, while Yates and Marsh are both highly decorated coaches.

The venture, which is endorsed by AFC Bournemouth and sponsored by Elite Teamwear and KBB Studios, has been set up partly to help Moss "put something back into the game".

He told the Daily Echo: "Bournemouth goalkeepers down the years have come from here, there and everywhere and I would love to see one come through who is local.

"I'm a local lad and have been proud to represent my local club so it would be great to see somebody else progress all the way through the ranks."

Moss, who attended Twynham School in Christchurch, joined Cherries as a schoolboy during his early teens and made his first-team debut as a 17-year-old.

He then reluctantly left the club for Southampton when he was 20, in a £250,000 transfer which was rushed through to help ease Cherries' ongoing financial problems.

Moss turned out in the Premiership for Saints during his eight-year stay before returning to his hometown club in 2003.

He said: "I didn't get any proper goalkeeper coaching until I moved to Southampton.

"I would like to have known how good I could have been if I'd received basic training and basic coaching from the age of eight or nine rather than starting when I was 20.

"You never know. I might have made more of myself if somebody had got hold of me at an early age. I'm pretty sure I would have."

Between The Sticks operates on Mondays and Thursdays out of Oakdale School and caters for all ages and abilities.

Moss added: "It's true what they say about only goalkeepers being able to coach goalkeepers.

"I know next to nothing about outfield coaching, but, from my experiences, I do know what makes a good goalkeeper and I'm happy to be in a position to pass on that knowledge to other people.

"I'm the other side of 30 now and starting to think about what I want to do when I call it a day. I'm also in the privileged position of being able to put something back into the game which has given me my livelihood. I've been coaching all the Centre of Excellence keepers with Robbie for the past 12 months and there just aren't many goalkeeper coaches in the area. Robbie's got a lot of contacts in the area and I've got a lot of contacts within the professional game so we thought we'd give it a go.

"We're looking to pass on some good coaching to give children a chance to either make some money out of the game when they are older or just enjoy their football and be as good as they can be playing with their mates or in local leagues.

"We're endorsed by the club because we work for the club and we've got all their resources behind us. If a keeper comes in for a private session and we think he's worth a look, we can recommend him to the Centre of Excellence.

"There are some keepers with real promise on the club's books and they are being spotted at a young age. Gone are the days when a lad had to prove himself in a year or two before someone made a decision as to whether he should earn an apprenticeship.

For more details on Between The Sticks, contact either Neil Moss (07956 115651), Robbie Yates (07776 252414) or Andy Marsh (07929 175880) or log on to their website at www.betweenthesticks.co.uk