Chelsea welcomed Chesterfield's academy players to their training complex on Saturday ahead of the first teams' FA Cup tie at Stamford Bridge.

A group of 235 young players and 30 staff travelled down from Derbyshire to the Surrey training base in a special link-up between the two academies. They were greeted by Petr Cech, Chelsea's technical and performance adviser, before the day's activities got underway.

Most of the sessions were held in our indoor arena due to the adverse weather conditions outside, though the rain could not dampen the spirits on what was a thoroughly enjoyable day. After the sessions, Chesterfield players and staff then attended the Cup tie eventually won by Chelsea.

Chesterfield academy manager Neil Cluxton revealed how rewarding the experience was for his young players to be involved on such a special day for the club.

"It was a fantastic opportunity for us to be involved with a top Premier League club," he told Chelsea's website. "I would like to thank Chelsea for providing us with this opportunity. I am also grateful to everyone in the Academy involved in helping to organise the event."

Ben Knight, lead U9-U14 phase coach at Chelsea, also discussed his motivation behind organising the link-up.

"It was a pleasure to welcome Chesterfield's academy to Cobham as we were able to bring the magic of the FA Cup to life, with players and staff from both clubs collaborating to give the players a wonderful experience ahead of the third round tie at Stamford Bridge.

"For us, it's a great example of our Academy living and breathing our club values to play your part and do the right thing. We hope we gave Chesterfield's players and staff an unforgettable experience on what was a huge day for their entire football club, and we thank them for the experience."