In the summer both U14's & U15's squads played friendlies against respective age groups from the MK Dons.
On Monday evening Rovers U15's returned to the MK Dons indoor dome & took part in a two hour session with academy players where they played both small sided & and an 11-a-side match.
The one thing as coaches we noticed on our first visit was how the MK Dons coaching staff only issued instructions in the breaks - there was absolutely no coaching during match play. The second we noticed was how fast the footwork both off & on the ball. Short quick passing like we see from Arsenal every week was the order of the day.
In the intervening months at Rovers we have concentrated on 2 or 3 touch small sided training sessions along with SAQ drills.
What was particularly pleasing last night was how much we had improved from our 1st visit & whilst the MK Dons lads were still technically superior , the improvement in the Bromsgrove lads was clear to see, so much so that the Academy Director paid us a huge compliment by saying how impressed he was with the standard.
We have been invited down again in the spring where we will try to combine it with a visit to the fantastic new MK Dons stadium (hopefully, a World Cup venue for 2018).
Particular thanks to the MK Dons for making us so welcome. We have learned a huge amount in our two visits & what a story to have for any 15 year old to brag about playing against the MK Dons.
Still to come are fixtures against Swindon Town & hopefully Shrewsbury Town.
Kevin Lucas
Bromsgrove Rovers FC U15