SWINDON Town normally hold training sessions away from prying eyes, but yesterday they opted for somewhere a little less secluded.

Fans of all ages descended on the County Ground as the club held an open training session, which was free to attend.

The event saw hundreds of fans fill the Don Rogers stand to watch manager Kevin MacDonald put his players through their paces.

Club chairman Jed McCrory said: “There’s no open access to the training ground during the regular season so having training at the County Ground gives an insight into what goes on the for the players.

“The fans can come and see how they train and how they prepare for what will be a big game at MK Dons on Tuesday.”

Loyal supporters braved freezing temperatures as they watched club captain Alan McCormack and co work their way through a challenging training regime.

The players, who aren’t used to having an audience while training, practised their ball control and passing before having a match against one another.

Mr McCrory, who took over the role of chairman in February, insisted that events like this are important to a club like Swindon.

He said: “Swindon Town is a family club – a community club. We’re very much at the heart of the community. This is another way that we can get involved with the fans.”

The session, which has proved a success at the County Ground in previous years, was being filmed by a team from Sky Sports. After the training, fans had the chance to go inside the stadium and have their photo taken with a replica of the League Two trophy that Swindon won last season.

As if that weren’t enough, fans were treated to a rare meet and greet session with the first team squad, where the players were happy to sign autographs.

Town defender Jay McEvely said: “It’s nice for the fans to come along and see what we do instead of just watching us play on a Saturday.

“It’s important for us to have strong ties with the community because, at the end of the day, they’re the ones who come down and support you.

“And if you’ve got them behind you then you’ve got a strong chance of doing something in the division.”

One of the lucky fans who met the team was Ty, a 13-year-old pupil from the John Bentley School, in Calne.

He said: “The event is good because it helps everybody get involved with the club and it’s really good that we can interact with the players.”

Mr McCrory added: “A huge thank you to those who’ve taken time out of their Easter holidays to come down and support the club.”