There was a special guest at the Brentford FC Training Ground yesterday – a man used to far tougher scenarios. Former Special Forces soldier Jason Fox – now known for his TV work – met the First Team players and staff yesterday, Monday 21 December, and gave a special presentation on competitive toughness, togetherness and resilience. The presentation – arranged by Tom Bates, part of the Club’s coaching team – saw Fox talk to the players about some of the challenges and experiences he faced working in some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable.

Fox joined the Royal Marines more than 20 years ago, when he was 16. He was a United Kingdom Special Forces Operative and had a two-decade career in one of the world’s best fighting forces. Fox – who is now on TV as a presenter of Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins – shared some of his experiences with the Brentford players during yesterday’s session.

The session focussed on competitive toughness and the importance of a strong mental attitude and mind-set. Fox, known as Foxy, also specialises in how to cope under pressure and how to build a cohesive team unit to function and think as one. He was able to talk to the players about how to harness emotion on the pitch and his study of successful teams and the traits that underpin winning cultures.

Jason Fox said: “It was a privilege to be allowed into the close knit community of Brentford FC. Both being a top level footballer and Special Forces operator require huge levels of emotional resilience, discipline, training and an understanding of what is required of you at any given moment. I just wanted to give the guys an insight into my world and draw the parallels to demonstrate how in-line high performance level football and Special Forces operations are.”

Tom Bates said: "Performance at the highest level is defined by mind-set. In Foxy's case it's a matter of life and death. Having Jason with us was a great opportunity to study the mentality required to be the very best from someone who has been at the very top of their profession. His spirit has inspired us all and he's someone we will continue to work with."

Dean Smith, Brentford FC Head Coach, said: "Jason was an inspired speaker that the staff and players could relate to and engage with. We all learned something from him that will help us improve individually and collectively. In both sport and the military having the right attitude toward work is a crucial ingredient of success and it is something that you can work on to improve."

Jake Bidwell, Brentford FC Captain, added: "It was a privilege to have someone like Jason to give up his time to come talk to the lads and share his experiences with us. It was a humbling experience for all of us but also very relatable albeit the situations and line of work we deal with are significantly less intense and important than what Jason and his team dealt with."