Dwight Gayle may be about to grace the hallowed turf of Wembley, but the striker swapped grass for concrete this week when he paid a visit to St Chads Primary School in Croydon.

As part of a CPFC Foundation initiative, the 25-year-old took time out to talk to the youngsters about bouncing back from adversity, explaining how he had used various setbacks in his career as to become more resilient in difficult situations.

PICTURE GALLERY: The life and times of Dwight Gayle in a Crystal Palace shirt

Pupils at the school in Alverston Gardens then had the chance to quiz him about the life of a professional footballer and get some training in the playground.

The CPFC Foundation is promoting sport in the community by putting coaches into primary schools, with funding support from the Premier League, and St Chads now has a full-time PE coach as part of the programme.

The initiative aims to provide either full-time or part-time PE coaches for schools to get more young people into sport.

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