A Sandbach footballer and coach has amassed nearly 180,000 followers on TikTok, where he shows off his skills along with tips and tricks for aspiring players.

Harry Cain, 23, started using the popular video sharing platform at the beginning of the pandemic to maintain a connection with his clients but has since gained millions of views.

He told Sandbach Nub News: "Initially, it was just setting challenges for the guys that were already my clients and asking them to get involved.

"From that a few videos started doing well. I got to know how to use the TikTok platform a little bit more, so I tried filming a few videos myself in the back garden doing some football skills because I'm a semi-pro footballer and I wanted to stay sharp as well. I just videoed it to see what happens and it took off from there."

It was only four videos into the 'Mr Coach Cain' TikTok page that Harry found a greater audience for his content, with his crossbar challenge gaining 93,000 views.

Another video in which Harry is taking penalties against one of his clients been viewed over 650,000 times and received 60,000 likes.

Harry said: "It has opened a lot of opportunities for me, which is incredible but it wasn't even something I was aiming for; it was just a bit of fun to pass the time when everyone was bored at home during the lockdown."

The content creator has recently become an ambassador for Sports Direct and launched a partnership with GPS fitness brand, Stat Sports.

Harry said: "It has also worked well for my coaching. The amount of people who have messaged to ask me to take sessions with them because of how well my TikTok does.

"I've had people from places like India and Brazil and from all over the country message for sessions. Obviously, it's not feasible for those people, but for some it has, which has been great."

Harry has ties with Sandbach United, having played for the first team several times, as well as getting his coaching badges at the club. They have also allowed him to use their facilities for filming.

The semi-pro footballer says he has heard many references to his namesake on the England team, Harry Kane, in his playing career, but that has not translated into the comment section of his TikTok videos.

"It might be a subconscious thing for my followers. You know, they might see 'footballer' and 'Cain' and subconsciously that helps in their decision to follow me but it's not something I've really seen," Harry said.

His advice for other aspiring TikTok creators is to pick a unique interest and stick with it in the videos.

"Whether it be football, whether it be dance, or another sport or cooking, or anything really, try and stick to a specific thing that makes your page unique that people can relate to. Once people follow you, they want to see more of why they followed you," Harry explained.