SOME people say that the only thing matching footballers' payslips is their egos - and that stars rarely do enough work to merit the luxuries afforded to them.

And there are also plenty of fans who sit in the stands thinking "I can do that", assessing the ability of their favourite footballers with an air of cynicism.

Unfortunately, not many of these critics get the chance to put their money where their mouth is, so it was up to me to step on to the training pitch with Swindon Town's young stars and experience, first-hand, just how much work they put in.

The Swindon youth team are put through their paces by boss Paul Bodin and Centre of Excellence director Jeremy Newton, and it's clear from the start that fitness plays a huge role in the development of Town's young players.

The morning session begins with a few laps around the pitch, before launching into a series of technical drills, testing every aspect of the players' ball control and passing ability.

Other gruelling exercises included two-on-two possession drills and bouts of "head tennis" as well as crossing and shooting practice, all of which I managed to hold my own in - just!

Despite this multitude of skill-based exercises, boss Bodin makes sure that the players' fitness is at its highest, ordering them to stretch after every drill.

"Injury prevention is the most important thing," said Bodin. "We do a mixture of fitness and technical work, as well as ply-metric exercises which work with muscle groups like the triceps, quadraceps and glutes.

"The lads put in a lot of effort and work on a daily basis. We're a Centre of Excellence and it's a massive step up from just playing at school or college."

Despite their tender years, the members of the youth squad are all technically gifted - and the first-year scholars are even more talented. They approach their training with astounding levels of both enthusiasm and professionalism, taking every piece of advice on board and continuing their development in a workmanlike way.

I found myself gasping to keep up with the fitness levels of players as young as 14, and I wouldn't be surprised to see some of these youngsters plying their trade in the Town's first team in years to come.

"The board has told us to develop these young lads, rather than sell them," said Bodin. "We've done well in the FA Cup and we want to strengthen and push their ability further."

Just a pitch away, Town's first team were holding their morning training session, and I could only imagine the physical demands of their drills.

After training with the youth squad, some of whom are five years my junior, I had to admit that compared with some of Town's hottest prospects, aged 19 I'm well and truly past it as a footballer.