Heskey extends A-League stay (video)

Former England international Emile Heskey has opted to extend his deal with A-League side Newcastle Jets after a successful first season in Australia.

The Jets' season came to an abrupt end last week as they failed to make the A-League playoffs however the club are delighted to have secured the services of the former England frontman for another year. Heskey signed for the Jets last season after spending all of his career in England where he had spells with Leicester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Wigan and Aston Villa.

Arriving in Australia at the same time as Allesandro Del Piero, Emile Heskey became an instant cult hero in the A-League by scoring 4 goals in his first 4 games down under, provoking hoards of Australian soccer fans to show their twitter support for a recall for Heskey to the England national team. Owing to his popularity, "Heskeycam" was set up on an Australian soccer channel, allowing fans to track the striker's movements for the entirety of the game.

Heskey scored 9 goals in 23 games this season and the 34-year-old's contributions have been acknowledged by the Jets who have nominated him for the club's Player of the Year award.

Heskey commented on his decision to prolong his career in Australia by saying:

"Everyone has made me feel very welcome here and I've really enjoyed my first season playing for the Jets. I'm looking forward to getting a full pre-season under my belt and helping the team push for a finals place next season."

Follow @themazyrun