There was a very special guest at the Oxford United Training Ground today when Brian Wood MC came along to speak the whole first team squad and give a hugely inspirational talk on team spirit, togetherness, leadership and the importance of mental health.
‘Woody’ was awarded the Military Cross, one of Britain’s highest awards for gallantry in combat, following his courageous leadership under enemy fire in Iraq.
During a 16 year military career Brian led British troops across the full spectrum of battle from training to fighting; from operations in the Balkans to high intensity combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. He told us
“So many of the core values are the same in the military and in football: discipline, training and comradeship. The players here clearly have a very special bond and I just talked to them about my experiences and about sticking together through some pretty tough times.”
Karl Robinson said
“He’s an amazing character and he had the lads’ full attention for what was an inspiring talk. He has led troops into some fierce situations and he has also had to overcome some very difficult times where mental health and being able to talk to people and open up are so important.
"So I wanted the players to hear his story and to maybe go away and think about the core values that we have here and what drives us forward as a group.”
See the day in the feee video above.
Read Woody’s full story RIGHT HERE