Young AFC Wimbledon players were given motivation from one of the leading coaches in world sport Eddie Jones, who came to watch a training session on Thursday October 19th.

Eddie Jones came to watch the Dons academy players being put through their paces by Coerver Coaching co-founder Alf Galustian.

In a speech to AFC Wimbledon’s young talents at the training ground, Eddie Jones offered them advice on making the grade as they seek to forge professional football careers.

Eddie said: “The best football session I have seen by a mile was Bayern Munich with Pep Guardiola.

“The thing that stood out for me was that these are some of the best football players in the world, but every ball they contested was 100 per cent and every pass counted.

“They did a warm-up and the ‘El Rondo’ training drill. They were not just warming up, they were playing to win.”

Eddie continued: “The big difference with players is that it’s not about how big you are or who your mother of father is, it is your attitude and how much you want it.

“It was a great opportunity for me and Steve today and we’ve got good ideas that we are going to take back to England training with us.”

Seasoned coach Alf Galustian put on eight training drills, offering a different kind of training session to what the Dons youngsters usually experience on a Thursday.

Alf explained how Eddie’s visit to AFC Wimbledon came about: “I have a connection with Wimbledon because I started here as a young player.

“We talked about one day trying to convert some these footballing philosophies, including drills and games, into rugby development.”

AFC Wimbledon’s Academy Head of Coaching Mark Robinson said: “Alf does two or three sessions a year with the academy, which is fantastic for us because he works with the biggest clubs in Europe.

“Eddie is renowned as someone who looks at different sports to continue his learning, which shows why he is so good.“