Brentford F.C. Reserves and Academy
Brentford F.C. Reserves was the reserve team of Brentford. The reserve team played at varying times from 1900 until 2011. During the 2012 off-season, the English reserve football pyramid and youth system was overhauled under the Elite Player Performance Plan and replaced with a new Academy system and development leagues. Brentford's reserve team was relaunched as the Brentford Development Squad in 2011 and in 2012 it began competing in Professional Development League 2 South. After closing the academy in May 2016, the club withdrew from the Elite Player Performance Plan and Professional Development League and launched a new Brentford B team. Following the first team's promotion to the Premier League in 2021, the club reopened its academy in time for the start of the 2022–23 season, under the Elite Player Performance Plan, while retaining the B team.
| Nickname(s) | The Bees |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2016 |
| Ground | Wheatsheaf Park, Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey; Jersey Road, Osterley, Middlesex; Brentford Community Stadium, Brentford, Middlesex |
| Capacity | 3,002 |
| Head coach | Neil MacFarlane |
| Website | Club website |
Reserve team edit
Background edit
Brentford Reserves was formed to give young players and first team players returning from injury game time in a competitive environment. The ever-changing structure of the game in England in the late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the Brentford reserve team included in leagues competing against the first teams of amateur clubs. On occasion, the reserve team would compete in two leagues simultaneously. Upon the Football League's acceptance of the Premier League's Elite Player Performance Plan in 2011, which replaced reserve teams with U21 Development Squads, the reserve team was permanently disbanded.[1] Winger Micky Ball made the most appearances for the reserve team, 159, without having ever made a first team appearance.[2] Two other players made more than 150 reserve team appearances – Fred Ryecraft and Johnny Hales.[2]
London League (1900–1914) edit
The reserve team entered the London League First Division in the 1900–01 season and finished 8th out of 11.[3] Following a demotion, the reserves were London League Second Division champions in 1902–03 and earned promotion back to the First Division.[3] They finished third in the First Division in the 1903–04 season and were promoted to the Premier Division for 1904–05, finishing in 8th place.[3] Bottom and second-from-bottom finishes saw the team back in the First Division for the 1908–09 season, which saw the reserves promoted back to the Premier Division as champions.[3] They achieved their highest Premier Division placing in 1909–10, finishing fifth.[3] Mid-table finishes followed in the Premier Division until 1913–14 when, competing for the first time in an all-professional reserve league, Brentford Reserves finished bottom in their final season in the league before the outbreak of the First World War.[4]
Great Western Suburban League (1905–1911) edit
The reserve team entered the Great Western Suburban League for the 1905–06 season and finished as champions in 1907–08, 1908–09 and 1910–11 and runners up in 1905–06, 1906–07 and 1909–10.[5] Their main rivals during those years were Reading Reserves, Hounslow and Shepherd's Bush.[5] The 1910–11 title win (in which the team failed to win only two of its games and was unbeaten during the season) forced the league's management to ban professional clubs from competing, which caused Brentford's departure from the league.[6]
South Eastern League (1914–1915) edit
Brentford Reserves competed in the South Eastern League during the 1914–15 season, but due to falling attendances brought on by the First World War, the team was withdrawn from the league in January 1915 and its record was expunged.[7]
Football Combination (1919–1967, 1998–1999, 2000–2004, 2009–2011) edit
The reserve team spent much of its existence competing in the Football Combination. Brentford Reserves were London Combination (as the Football Combination was known then) champions in 1931–32 and 1932–33.[8] The title-clinching game on 6 May 1933, against Aldershot Reserves was watched by a crowd of over 9,000 at Griffin Park, the club record for a reserve team fixture.[9] A notable achievement was 43-game winning run at Griffin Park between November 1931 and November 1933.[10] Much of the success in those two seasons was down to the prolific goalscoring of Ralph Allen.[9] Overspending and the subsequent cutting of costs forced the club to disband the reserve team and quit the Football Combination in 1967.[8] The reserves re-joined the Football Combination for the 1998–99 season,[11] but withdrew at the end of the 1999–2000 season.[12] The team rejoined for the 2000–01 season and a notable third-place finish was achieved in 2001–02.[13][14] The reserve team was withdrawn from competition in 2004,[15] but was revived and won election to the Football Combination Central Division in 2009.[16] The team played for two seasons before being replaced by the Brentford Development Squad in 2011.[17] During its final two seasons, the reserve team played its home games at Griffin Park.[18]
London Midweek League (1938–1939, 1974–1985) edit
A Brentford reserve team was entered into the London Midweek League for the 1938–39 season.[19] The entry into the league was "to give promising young professionals, amateurs and any “finds” a test and to build up the playing strength".[19] After the Brentford Reserve team was revived in 1974, the team re-entered the London Midweek League.[20] The team's best finish was as runners-up in 1982–83.[8]
Capital League (1984–1998) edit
A reserve team was entered into the Capital League as founding members in 1984.[21] Throughout its time in the league, the reserve team was competitive and won the title in 1987–88 and 1995–96.[22] The team won the Capital League Cup in 1987–88, 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1994–95.[22]
Development squad edit
Background edit
The Brentford Development Squad was launched in May 2011.[17] The Development Squad played its home matches at the club's training ground at Jersey Road, Osterley and a limited number of fixtures were played at Griffin Park.[23] The team was made up of U21 players and was allowed to field three overage outfield players and one overage goalkeeper, which enabled first team fringe players to get game time. Scholars were also eligible to play for the Development Squad. After impressing during the 2011–12 pre-season, Jake Reeves became the first Development Squad player to be promoted into the first team squad.[24] Charlie Adams, Josh Clarke and Mark Smith also graduated from the team.[25][26][27] Josh Clarke made the most competitive appearances for the team during its existence (64) and Jan Holldack, Luke Norris and Jermaine Udumaga tied as top scorers with 14 goals each.[28][29][30][31] The Development Squad model was abandoned in May 2016.[32] Speaking about the shortcomings of Professional Development League football, then-academy conditioning coach James Purdue stated in October 2020 that "one of the big things for us was that, physically, the players weren’t challenged enough to put them in a place where they were ready to step into first team football. We looked a lot at data from U23 games and it wasn’t comparable to first team football".[33]
History (2011–2016) edit
The Development Squad played friendly matches during the 2011–12 season.[34] It won its first silverware in August 2011, with a 3–2 victory over Bedfont Sports claiming the Hounslow Borough Cup.[35] The team entered the Professional Development League 2 South for the 2012–13 season and finished fourth, two places away from qualifying for the knockout stage.[36] The 2013–14, 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons yielded poor finishes near the bottom of the table.[37][38][39] The team entered the U21 Premier League Cup for only time in the 2015–16 season and reached the quarter-finals.[40][41]
Brentford B edit
Original incarnation (1890s) edit
The original Brentford B team was active during the 1890s and functioned as the third XI, below the first team and reserve team.[42] From the beginning of the 1899–1900 season, the B team was renamed Brentford Thursday.[42]
Relaunch (2016–present) edit
Background edit
After the Brentford Academy was closed at the end of the 2015–16 season,[43] the Development Squad was renamed Brentford B.[32] The team plays friendly matches against senior, U23, U21 and academy teams,[44] with a squad of players aged from 17 to 21.[43] In addition, the team plays in friendly cup competitions and entered competitive cups for the first time during the 2018–19 season.[45][46] The players and staff are part of an ongoing exchange of information with Brentford's partner club FC Midtjylland.[47] Owner Matthew Benham revealed in July 2016 that, with the club needing to focus on the first team and its new stadium, "the B team seemed like a simpler and more attractive option".[48] Then-Head of Football Operations Robert Rowan stated that the team's initial objective was to promote at least one player into the first team squad by the end of the 2016–17 season,[47] which was achieved when left back Tom Field was promoted in December 2016.[49] By September 2023, 28 B team contracted and loan players had made a first team appearance.[50] As of April 2024, right back David Titov has made the most B team appearances, with 103.[51] In January 2019, Icelandic winger Kolbeinn Finnsson become the first B team player to win a full international cap while contracted to the team.[52] In December 2023, right back Mads Roerslev became the first B team graduate to make 100 first team appearances.[53]
Robert Rowan described the recruitment process as being to identify "different leagues where the physical qualities are often overlooked in favour of the tactical qualities, whereas in England if you are physical you have a good chance of being a good player. The tactical side of things can be taught" and that "there isn’t much point in us going to scout young talent in lower league clubs as every Premier League club can out-spend and out-resource us".[54] A 2022 article in The Athletic stated that "Brentford often sign players for their B team who have fallen out of favour or been released from Premier League academies. Non-League sides have proven to be a fertile hunting ground too".[55] Following the reopening of the Brentford academy in July 2022, the club's new U18 team fed into the B team.[56]
Speaking about the benefits of the B team for the players, strength and conditioning coach James Purdue stated in October 2020 that "the games programme tests them more physically and better prepares them for first team football. It’s also treated a lot more like a first team so the environment that they’re used to is not dissimilar when they step up, as we’ve seen with our players over the course of the last four years, the transition becomes easier. It doesn’t mean they’re ready to slot straight in all the time, but it means that they understand the requirements".[33]
Home stadiums edit
In October 2023, Brentford took over the use of the vacant Wheatsheaf Park for B team home fixtures.[57] Prior to that, the B team played the majority of its home matches at the club's Jersey Road training ground.[58][59][60][61] Prior to the club moving out of Griffin Park in 2020,[62] the B team played occasional home matches at the ground.[58][59][60][61] The team's first fixture at the Brentford Community Stadium was the 2022–23 Premier League Cup Final, which was won 2–1 over Blackburn Rovers.[63] The grounds of AFC Wimbledon, Hanwell Town, Metropolitan Police, Bedfont Sports, Woking, Stevenage and Sutton United have also been utilised for home fixtures.[61][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71]
Matches, cup competitions and tours edit
Brentford B does not play in a league and its fixtures are arranged independently.[72] The B team's first fixture took place on 9 July 2016, against UC Santa Barbara Gauchos at Jersey Road, which resulted in a 4–1 victory to the Bees.[58] The team's debut season featured victories over U23 teams from Manchester United, Liverpool (on penalties), West Bromwich Albion, Queens Park Rangers, Reading and Wolverhampton Wanderers.[58] On 27 August 2020, the team played the final match at Griffin Park, a 6–3 London Senior Cup semi-final win over Erith Town.[62] On 23 March 2023, the team played against a senior international XI for the first time and lost 2–0 to Ukraine at Plough Lane.[73]
Since its maiden cup appearance at the Kai Thor Cup in 2017,[74] the team has entered a number of friendly and competitive cup competitions, including the Middlesex Senior Cup, the London Senior Cup,[60] the Korantina Homes Cup, the Atlantic Cup,[75] the Premier League Cup and one-off cup competitions.[76][77] The team's cup wins include the 2017 Kai Thor Cup,[74] the 2018–19 Middlesex Senior Cup, the 2021–22 London Senior Cup and the 2022–23 Premier League Cup.[63][78][79]
Aside from overseas training camps,[59][80] the team has toured Germany, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Portugal, Cyprus, Spain and the Netherlands.[44][81][82][83]
Youth team edit
A Brentford youth team won the West Middlesex Junior Cup in 1893–94.[84] A new youth team, named Brentford Town Juniors, was launched in 1948 and won the Hounslow Minor Shield in its inaugural season.[85] Products of the team included Alan Bassham, George Bristow, Roy Hart and George Lowden.[85] The youth team reached the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup in 1952–53, succumbing 8–1 on aggregate to the eventual winners Manchester United.[86] Under the stewardship of Alf Bew and because of the financial constraints imposed on the first team, the youth team of the early 1950s was particularly productive, yielding Vernon Avis, Johnny Pearson, Gerry Cakebread, Dennis Heath, Jim Towers and George Francis.[87] Following financial problems in 1967, the youth team was disbanded, but was revived again in 1972 with money raised by supporters.[88] The youth team won a youth tournament in Frankfurt the following year, beating Frem in the final,[6] with Richard Poole top-scoring.[88] Along with Poole, Kevin Harding and Roy Cotton progressed to play league football with the first team, while Gary Huxley won England Youth international honours.[88] The youth team ceased playing competitive fixtures at the end of the 1973–74 season.[89]
The youth team was revived for the 1980–81 season.[90] A team containing a young Keith Millen was crowned champions of the South East Counties League in 1983–84.[91] A second FA Youth Cup semi-final was reached in 1988–89, in which Brentford were beaten by Watford.[86] After the dissolution of the South East Counties League, the youths later competed in the Football League Youth Alliance and, competing as an U19 team, they were Merit Division One South champions in 2001–02 and 2002–03.[92] The youths had a memorable run in the FA Youth Cup during the 2005–06 season, beating Arsenal in the third round on penalties after extra time and finally succumbing 2–1 to Newcastle United in the fifth round.[93][94] The team enjoyed another run in the 2011–12 FA Youth Cup, beating Lewes, Southend United and Hull City before being knocked out in the fourth round by Stoke City.[95]
Other teams edit
A Team (1920s–1930s, 1940s, 1959–1961) edit
A third Brentford team, known as Brentford A, was active in the late 1920s and early 1930s and then again from 1948.[96][97] The team later competed in the Seanglian League in 1959–60 and finished in mid-table.[98] The As fared worse the following season, finishing second from bottom and was disbanded.[98] The team was managed by former first team goalkeeper Ted Gaskell, with Eddie Lyons as his assistant.[99] Future key players John Docherty, Tommy Higginson and Peter Gelson began their Brentford careers in the team.[100]
C Team (1890s) edit
Brentford C functioned as a fourth XI and was active during the 1890s.[42] It later became known as Brentford Old Boys.[42]
Elite Development Education Football Programme (2014–present) edit
The Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, in partnership with West Thames College, runs an Elite Development Education Football Programme, which sees boys between the ages of 16–18 train with the club three times a week, while also studying for BTEC courses at the college.[101] The course also provides the opportunity for the players to gain FA coaching qualifications.[102] Between 2014 and 2018, two U19 teams, Brentford Griffins and Brentford Bees,[103] participated in the Football Conference Youth Alliance and the National League U19 Alliance and played their home matches at King's House Sports Ground.[104][105] The teams played their inaugural seasons in 2014–15 and Brentford Griffins won the Football Conference Youth Alliance London & South East division title.[103][106] Despite the title win, coach Dan Wright revealed that the teams had fallen short of providing new scholars for the academy.[107] Brentford Griffins again finished champions in the 2015–16 season, winning Division F' and advancing to the playoff semi-finals.[108][109]
From the beginning of the 2016–17 season, the Griffins and Bees became the de facto replacement for the Youth Team, offering a pathway to the B team for local teenage players of the required standard.[110] In 2016, Ellery Balcombe became the first player to graduate from the programme and sign a professional B team contract.[111] He was promoted into the first team squad in 2018 and made his first team debut in 2023.[50] In 2018, Brentford Griffins and Bees were merged to form a single team, Brentford CST Bees, which entered the National League U19 Alliance and finished fourth in Division C.[112]
An additional CST team entered the Community & Education Football Alliance (CEFA) for the 2018–19 season and reached the final of the CEFA Regional Cup.[113][114] Jason Evans, a player for Brentford CST Bees and the club's CEFA team,[115] was nominated for the CEFA Player of the Year award at the 2019 EFL Awards.[116] The number of CEFA teams was increased to three for the 2019–20 season, under the names Bees, Griffins and Reds.[117][118][119] Also in the 2019–20 season, an U19 team was entered into the South Premier Division of the National Youth Football League and the team transferred to the National League U19 Alliance for 2022–23.[120][121][122] As of October 2020, former Brentford youth graduate Ryan Peters was running the programme.[123] Following the reopening of the Brentford academy during the 2022 off-season,[56] the U18 academy team fielded the Community Sports Trust's players during the 2022–23 season.[124]
Centre of Excellence edit
The Brentford Centre of Excellence was formed to nurture youth talent and was headed by Barry Quin, Director Of Youth Football at the club for 20 years.[125] Quin was succeeded in the role by Ose Aibangee in January 2010 and officially left the club in July 2010.[125][126] During the interim period before academy status was awarded in July 2013, Brentford operated a four-tier youth system – Development Squad (ages 18–21), U18 (ages 16–18), Junior Centre of Excellence (ages 9–15) and Pre-Academy (age 9 and under).[127] The Centre of Excellence ceased to exist in 2013.[128]
Academy edit
Beginnings, planning and function (2010–2016) edit
Plans to upgrade the Centre Of Excellence to an academy began in 2010 after the takeover of the club by Matthew Benham.[129] In December 2012, permission was granted by Hillingdon Council's South and Central Planning Committee for Brentford to build a Category Two Academy on the grounds of Uxbridge High School.[130] The academy facility was paid for by the club, with a contribution from the school.[130] In July 2013, the academy was awarded Category Two status for the next three years.[128] Brentford was the only League One club to make the advance from a Centre Of Excellence to a Category Two Academy.[128]
At the official opening of the academy in January 2014, Ose Aibangee predicted that by 2019, a Brentford academy graduate would be selected for the England national team.[131] In April 2014, after the first team's promotion to the Championship for the 2014–15 season, then-U18 defender Richard Bryan said he believed that the academy could step up to produce players to play at Championship level, saying "for all the players here that want to get into the first team, it is definitely another step up and a harder challenge, but they have got to step up to the plate and be ready for it. There is a hunger in the team and in the coaches".[132]
An indicator of the academy beginning to bear fruit was evidenced by the call ups of Joshua Bohui, Harry Francis and Ross McMahon to England and Scotland youth-level training camps respectively during the 2014–15 season.[133] Julius Fenn-Evans won Wales U16 caps in April 2015,[134] Ian Poveda represented England at U16 level in August 2015 and Joshua Bohui made his England U17 debut in February 2016.[135][136] In March 2018, central defender Chris Mepham became the first former academy player to be capped at full international level (by Wales) and in January 2019 he transferred away from the club for an undisclosed fee,[137] reported to be £12 million.[55] In March 2022, Crystal Palace left back Tyrick Mitchell became the first former Brentford academy player to be capped by England at full international level.[138][139]
Facility edit
The Brentford Academy was based in an indoor facility on the grounds of Uxbridge High School and became fully operational in November 2013.[140] The academy building contained a 60m x 50m third-generation AstroTurf pitch, learning zones, changing rooms, a gym and a physiotherapy room.[140] The academy was officially opened on 16 January 2014, by FA chairman and former Brentford chairman Greg Dyke.[141]
Closure (2016) edit
On 11 May 2016, a statement from co-directors of football Phil Giles and Rasmus Ankersen revealed that prior the beginning of the 2016–17 season, Brentford would withdraw from the Elite Player Performance Plan, the Professional Development League and would no longer run a full academy system between U8 and U21 level.[43] Owner Matthew Benham later revealed the reasons for the closure in an open letter, saying "it is a competitive area, there are lots of academies in London. The risk is you have a great player, but he defects at the age of 16 and you get peanuts in return. In theory the player builds up loyalty to the club, but in practice there are other factors and the parents have an influence. EPPP made it difficult to run an academy, but also there is only so much the club can focus on. Overall, it seems to be difficult for smaller academies to keep hold of players".[48]
A 2017 article in The Guardian stated that "at a cost of around £2m a year, Brentford decided it was simply too much of a risk that their academy – with so much competition on its doorstep in London – would produce enough first team players to make that investment worthwhile".[54] Co-director of football Rasmus Ankersen stated in 2020 that "for every player produced who is good enough for the first team, there are seven or eight who don’t make it. You can accept that if, when that one player comes through in whom you have invested so much, [his sale] can effectively pay for the rest. But when those talents did come through, their scholarships ended at 17, they became free agents and went off and joined Manchester United and Manchester City. We ended up getting something ridiculous, like £30,000, because that’s what they judge their training to have been worth. It’s like having a winning lottery ticket and then someone comes along and steals it".[142]
Reopening (2022–present) edit
In December 2021, a public consultation began regarding a new planning application for improved facilities at Brentford's Jersey Road training ground.[143] With the Brentford's promotion to the Premier League in 2021, the club stated that new facilities could be utilised for a "football academy in line with UEFA requirements".[143] With aspirations of the first team playing in European competitions, "UEFA rules stipulate that clubs who wish to take part in its competitions have to operate an academy, otherwise they will be refused entry".[55] Following the preservation of Brentford's Premier League status at the end of the 2021–22 season, it was reported that talks were underway to reopen the academy.[55] On 15 July 2022, Brentford announced that it had been "granted a licence to open and operate an Academy under the Elite Player Performance Plan" and would "initially open a Category Four Academy for the start of the 2022–23 season".[56] In March 2023, Brentford opened a Development Centre for players between the ages of 9 and 16 and in May 2024,[144] construction began on new academy facilities at the club's Jersey Road training ground.[145]
Teams edit
U18 edit
Under the Elite Player Performance Plan, the Brentford Youth Team was officially renamed as the Brentford U18 team in 2012 (though it continued to be colloquially known as the "youth team") and fielded scholars, U16s and U15s. During its initial four-season existence, the team played in the Professional U18 Development League 2 South. It saw little success,[146][147][148] bar the 2014–15 season, in which it qualified for the Professional U18 Development League 2 South knockout stage for the only time.[149] The team progressed to the final of the knockout stage and were defeated 1–0 by Charlton Athletic.[150] 10 second-year scholars graduated from the U18 team to sign professional contracts in April 2015,[151] the generation which had previously won the Junior category at the 2012 Milk Cup while U15s.[152]
In cup competitions, the U18s reached the 2013 Middlesex Senior Youth Cup Final, but were defeated 6–1 by Wealdstone.[153] In December 2014, the team was invited to take part in the prestigious IMG Cup: Boys Invitational at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida and finished the tournament tied in fifth position with United States U17.[154]
The academy was closed at the end of the 2015–16 season and the team ceased to exist, with the majority of the scholars being released or sold.[43][155] During the team's initial four-year history, the highest appearance-maker was Zain Westbrooke (55) and Bradley Clayton top-scored (20).[156][157][158][159]
In July 2022, the reopening of the Brentford academy saw the creation of a new U18 team and it took part in the EFL Youth Alliance South East Conference, the EFL Youth Alliance Cup and the FA Youth Cup during the 2022–23 season.[56][160] The team was run in conjunction with the club's Community Sports Trust and fielded its players.[124] From the beginning of the 2023–24 season, the team fielded a new intake of academy scholars and finished the campaign as champions of the EFL Youth Alliance Merit League 2.[161][162][163] After the club acquired use of the vacant Wheatsheaf Park in October 2023, the team began playing home matches there.[57]
U17 edit
The U17 team played outside the United Kingdom for the first time when they journeyed to the Netherlands for a friendly match against AZ Alkmaar's Academy on 29 October 2013, with Brentford running out 4–1 winners.[164] The U17s entered the Milk Cup for the first time in 2014, going out on penalties to Club América in the Premier Section Globe semi-final.[165]
U16 edit
On 29 October 2014, the U16s took on a Barcelona youth team in a prestigious friendly at La Masia. Brentford took the lead through Danny Parish, but lost 2–1.[166] 12 members of the 2014–15 team signed scholarship deals in April 2015,[167] with Parish being the only member of the group to sign a professional contract at Griffin Park.[32]
U15 edit
Brentford made its Milk Cup debut in 2010 and finished 23rd out of 24 entries.[168] The team had some joy in the competition's Dunluce Trophy, finishing as runners-up to County Down.[169] The U15 team were winners of the Junior category at the 2012 Milk Cup, seeing off CSKA Moscow and Liverpool along the way and beating Everton in the final.[168][170][171] The U15s again competed in the Junior category in 2013 Milk Cup and lost 3–2 to a Japan FA team in the Junior Vase final.[172] The team were 2–1 victors over Inter Milan U15 in a friendly played at the Italian club's academy on 17 April 2014.[173] At the 2014 Milk Cup, the U15s won the Junior Globe.[174] The U15s were victorious at the 2015 Sportfan Football Festival in Lithuania, beating Skonto FC in the semi-finals and FM Vilnius in the final.[175]
U14 edit
At the time of the resumption of the Brentford youth system in 1970, an U14 team was created and coached by former player Ken Horne.[176]
U13 edit
In May 2016, the U13 team won the Elite Neon Cup in Greece, beating AEK Athens in the final.[177]
U11 edit
In June 2014, an U11 team entered the 28-team Holstein Cup (held in Bad Oldesloe, Germany) and finished third in the tournament, behind Hertha 03 Zehlendorf and Borussia Mönchengladbach.[178] In late February 2015, Brentford hosted a prestigious England vs Germany U11 tournament, featuring teams from the academies of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich, Hertha Berlin, Hannover 96 and Schalke 04.[179] Brentford won the Silver Group to finish runners-up in the tournament, behind Manchester United.[180] The U11s took part in the Mediterranean International Cup in April 2015, going out to Valencia in the last 16.[181]
Partnerships edit
The academy had a number of partnerships with football clubs and sports organisations in and outside the UK:
UK edit
- Uxbridge High School[182]
- North Hertfordshire College
- AVC Sports Management[183]
- Elite Preparation Centre[184]
- CB Hounslow United[185]
- Football Magic Coaching[186]
- University of Westminster[187]
- Rural Friendly League[188]
- Isledon Wolves[189]
- West Thames College[190]
- GSK Human Performance Lab[191]
Europe edit
- UMF Selfoss (Iceland)[192]
- Combined Counties Football League (Ireland)[193]
- FC Midtjylland (Denmark)[194]
- Käpylän Pallo (Finland)[195]
North America edit
- Next Gen USA (United States)[196]
Africa edit
Squad list edit
Brentford B edit
| # | Name | Nationality | Position | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Contract ends | Notes | International caps[nb 1] | Pro. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||||||
| 41 | Vincent Angelini | GK | 12 September 2003 | Watford | 2023 | 2024 (+1) | [198] | |||
| — | Marley Tavaziva | GK | 17 December 2004 | Brentford CST | 2022 | 2024 | Scholar | [199] | ||
| — | Ben Winterbottom | GK | 16 July 2001 | Liverpool | 2021 | 2025 (+1) | [200] | |||
| Defenders | ||||||||||
| 42 | Val Adedokun (c) | LB | 14 February 2003 | Dundalk | 2021 | 2026 (+1) | U19 | [201] | ||
| 50 | Benjamin Arthur | CB | 9 October 2005 | Peterborough United | 2023 | 2026 | U19 | [202] | ||
| — | Romeo Beckham | FB | 1 September 2002 | Inter Miami II | 2023 | 2024 (+1) | [203] | |||
| — | Tristan Crama | CB | 8 November 2001 | AS Béziers | 2020 | 2026 (+1) | Loaned to Bristol Rovers | [204] | ||
| — | Max Dickov | FB | 27 April 2002 | Stockport Town | 2022 | 2024 (+1) | [205] | |||
| — | Charlie Farr | FB | 11 September 2001 | Unattached | 2022 | 2024 (+1) | [206] | |||
| 43 | Benjamin Fredrick | CB | 28 May 2005 | Simoiben | 2023 | 2028 (+1) | [207] | |||
| 36 | Kim Ji-soo | CB | 24 December 2004 | Seongnam | 2023 | 2027 (+1) | U23 | [208] | ||
| — | Conor McManus | LB | 16 June 2004 | Bray Wanderers | 2023 | 2025 (+1) | [209] | |||
| — | Daniel Oyegoke | RB | 3 January 2003 | Arsenal | 2021 | 2024 (+1) | Loaned to Bradford City | U20 | [210] | |
| — | Byron Wilson | FB | 23 October 2005 | Unattached | 2022 | 2024 (+1) | [211] | |||
| — | Erion Zabeli | CB | 8 September 2004 | Oxford United | 2023 | 2024 (+1) | [212] | |||
| Midfielders | ||||||||||
| — | Beaux Booth | MF | 17 December 2005 | Dorking Wanderers | 2023 | 2025 | Scholar | [213] | ||
| 38 | Ethan Brierley | MF | 23 November 2003 | Rochdale | 2023 | 2026 (+1) | [214] | |||
| — | Ben Krauhaus | MF | 12 October 2004 | Bromley | 2024 | 2027 (+1) | Loaned to Bromley | [215] | ||
| — | Riley Owen | CM | 24 August 2005 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2023 | 2024 (+1) | [216] | |||
| — | Mukhammadali Urinboev | AM | 24 April 2005 | Pakhtakor | 2024 | 2024 | On loan from Pakhtakor | [217] | ||
| — | Angel Waruih | CM | 9 December 2003 | Plymouth Argyle | 2022 | 2024 (+1) | [218] | |||
| — | Max Wilcox | CM | 11 September 2003 | Bolton Wanderers | 2022 | 2024 (+1) | [219] | |||
| Attackers | ||||||||||
| — | Ashley Hay | FW | 2002 (age 21–22) | Hitchin Town | 2023 | 2024 | [220] | |||
| — | Isaac Holland | FW | 2 September 2005 | Sheffield Wednesday | 2022 | 2025 | [221] | |||
| — | Ethan Laidlaw | FW | 2 January 2005 | Hibernian | 2023 | 2025 (+1) | [222] | |||
| — | Kyreece Lisbie | W | 1 December 2003 | Watford | 2022 | 2024 (+1) | [223] | |||
| — | Iwan Morgan | FW | 29 January 2006 | Swansea City | 2023 | 2027 | U19 | [224] | ||
| 37 | Michael Olakigbe | LW | 6 April 2004 | Fulham | 2022 | 2028 (+1) | Loaned to Peterborough United | U20 | [225] | |
| — | Tony Yogane | W | 24 September 2005 | Sheffield Wednesday | 2022 | 2025 | [226] | |||
| — | Nathan Young-Coombes | FW | 15 January 2003 | Rangers | 2021 | 2024 (+1) | [227] | |||
U18 edit
| Name | Nationality | Position | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Contract ends | Pro. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||
| Evan Anderson | GK | 22 October 2006 | St Mirren | 2023 | 2025 | [228] | |
| Reggie Rose | GK | 26 April 2005 | Kinetic Academy | 2023 | 2024 | [229] | |
| Connor Wolfheimer | GK | 3 March 2007 | Kingstonian | 2023 | 2025 | [230] | |
| Defenders | |||||||
| Gregory Asemokhai | CB | 3 September 2006 | ECA Academy | 2023 | 2025 | [231] | |
| Remy Bennison | LB | 3 January 2006 | Cre8tive Academy | 2023 | 2024 | [232] | |
| Andre Grey | DF | 24 February 2006 | Corinthian-Casuals | 2023 | 2025 (+1) | [233] | |
| Chanse Headman | CB | 3 June 2005 | Walton & Hersham | 2023 | 2024 | [234] | |
| Konstantin Ivanov | LB | 3 December 2006 | Bracknell Town | 2023 | 2025 | [235] | |
| Matas Klimas | DF | 31 July 2007 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2024 | 2025 | [236] | |
| Trae Payet | RB | 15 November 2006 | Norwich City | 2023 | 2025 | [237] | |
| Kerron Samuels | CB | 21 July 2006 | Liverpool | 2023 | 2025 (+1) | [238] | |
| Freddie Taylor | RB | 5 October 2006 | Cre8tive Academy | 2023 | 2025 | [239] | |
| Midfielders | |||||||
| Yaw Agyei | MF | 22 September 2005 | Pro:Direct Academy Northampton | 2023 | 2025 (+1) | [240] | |
| Mikel Francis | CM | 28 September 2006 | Erith & Belvedere | 2023 | 2025 | [241] | |
| Kaya Halil | AM | 19 September 2006 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2023 | 2025 | [242] | |
| Michael McSorley | MF | — | Brentford CST | 2024 | 2025 (+1) | [243] | |
| Babu Ombok | CM | — | Brightlingsea Regent | 2024 | 2024 | [244] | |
| Adam Poliakov | MF | — | — | 2023 | 2024 | [245] | |
| Attackers | |||||||
| Josh Djoro | FW | 29 December 2006 | Millwall | 2023 | 2025 | [246] | |
| Omaru King | W | 19 July 2006 | Corinthian-Casuals | 2023 | 2024 | [247] | |
| Emeka Peters | W | 13 January 2007 | Fulham | 2023 | 2025 | [248] | |
| Ollie Shield | W | 25 September 2006 | Southampton | 2023 | 2025 | [249] | |
Staff edit
Current staff edit
| Name | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Neil MacFarlane | B head coach | [250] |
| Vacant | B assistant head coach & technical lead | [251] |
| Sam Saunders | B assistant head coach | [252] |
| Jani Viander | B goalkeeper coach | [253] |
| James Purdue | B strength and conditioning coach | [254] |
| Vacant | B physiotherapist | |
| Aimee Evans | B performance coach | [255] |
| Kieran Swift | B analyst | [256] |
| Lydia Bedford | U18 head coach | [257] |
| Jon-Paul Pittman | U18 assistant head coach | [257] |
| Chris Ramsey | U18 goalkeeper coach | [258] |
| Louis Hutton | U18 physiotherapist | [259] |
| Steve Torpey | Academy director | [260] |
| Michael Adesida | Academy head of recruitment | [261] |
| Ryan Peters | Academy head of education, Elite Development Programme coach | [102] [262] |
| Haydée Agras | Academy analyst | [263] |
| Ben Lampert | Community Sports Trust coach | [264] |
| Jerome Okimo | Community Sports Trust coach | [264] |
| Peter Prickett | Community Sports Trust coach | [264] |
| Tommy Ryan-Maynard | Community Sports Trust coach | [264] |
| Kristian Wooster | Community Sports Trust coach | [264] |
| Marco Gianluigi De Lauri | Community Sports Trust goalkeeper coach | [264] |
| Joe McEachran | Community Sports Trust strength & conditioning coach | [264] |
| Casey Smyth | Community Sports Trust physiotherapist | [264] |
Reserve team/Development Squad/B Team manager history edit
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (October 2013) |
| Name | Nationality | From | To | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackie Goodwin | England | — | — | [265] |
| Phil Holder | England | — | September 1990 | [266] |
| Graham Pearce | England | — | — | [267] |
| Kevin Lock | England | May 1993 | May 1998 | [268] |
| Roberto Forzoni | England | July 2001 | 2003 | [269] |
| Adrian Whitbread | England | 2004 | 2006 | [270] |
| Darren Sarll | England | 2009 | 24 May 2011 | [271] |
| Jon de Souza | England | 7 July 2011 | 21 October 2014 | [272] |
| Lee Carsley | Republic of Ireland | 21 October 2014 | 28 September 2015 | [273] |
| Kevin O'Connor | Republic of Ireland | 28 September 2015 | 4 January 2016 | [274] |
| Flemming Pedersen | Denmark | 4 January 2016 | 16 November 2016 | [275] |
| Kevin O'Connor | Republic of Ireland | 17 November 2016 | 12 December 2018 | [276] |
| Lars Friis | Denmark | 13 December 2018 | 29 May 2019 | [277] |
| Neil MacFarlane | Scotland | 30 May 2019 | Present | [250] |
Youth team/U18 manager history edit
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (October 2013) |
| Name | Nationality | From | To | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alf Bew | England | May 1948 | 1954 | [278] |
| Ernest Muttitt | England | 1955 | 1957 | |
| Jackie Goodwin | England | 1957 | 1963 | [279] |
| Ian Black | Scotland | — | — | [280] |
| Roy Ruffell | England | 1970 | March 1972 | [281] [282] |
| Phil Jarrett | England | March 1972 | 1972 | [283] |
| Peter Chadwick | England | 1972 | — | [284] |
| Len Roe | England | 1978 | — | [285] |
| Alan Humphries | England | 1980 | January 1981 | [286] |
| Dai Jones | Wales | January 1981 | 1981 | [286] |
| Ron Harris | England | 1981 | 1982 | [287] |
| Brent Hills | England | 1982 | September 1988 | [288] |
| Colin Lee | England | 1988 | August 1989 | [289] |
| Tony Gourvish | England | August 1989 | — | [290] |
| Joe Gadston | England | — | May 1993 | [90] [291] |
| Stuart Morgan | Wales | 1993 | October 1993 | [292] [293] |
| Peter Nicholas | Wales | October 1993 | 1994 | [294] |
| Bob Booker | England | 1994 | 2000 | [295] |
| Geoff Taylor | England | 2000 | September 2004 | [296] |
| Barry Quin | England | 25 October 2004 | 2005 | [297] |
| Scott Fitzgerald | Republic of Ireland | June 2005 | 21 December 2006 | [298] |
| Bobby Paterson | England | January 2007 | 11 September 2007 | [299] |
| Scott Marshall | Scotland | 11 September 2007 | 2008 | [299] |
| Darren Sarll | England | June 2008 | 24 May 2011 | [271] |
| Jon de Souza | England | 6 July 2011 | May 2012 | [272] |
| Louis Lancaster | England | May 2012 | 16 November 2012 | [300] |
| Jon de Souza | England | 16 November 2012 | 28 November 2012 | [301] |
| Jeremy Steele | England | 28 November 2012 | 7 October 2014 | [302] [303] |
| Jon de Souza | England | October 2014 | May 2016 | [304] [305] |
| Eddie Keen | England | 2022 | 1 June 2023 | [306] |
| Lydia Bedford | England | 1 June 2023 | Present | [257] |
Awards edit
B Team edit
Mary Halder Award edit
| Season | Name | Nationality | Position | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Chris Mepham | Wales | CB | [307] |
| 2017–18 | Marcus Forss | Finland | FW | [308] |
| 2018–19 | Ali Coote | Scotland | MF | [309] |
| 2019–20 | Nathan Shepperd | Wales | GK | [310] |
| 2020–21 | Fin Stevens | Wales | RB | [311] |
| 2021–22 | Dom Jefferies | Wales | MF | [312] |
| 2022–23 | Ryan Trevitt | England | MF | [313] |
Other Player of the Year awards edit
| Season | Name | Nationality | Position | Award | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Zain Westbrooke | England | MF | [nb 2] | [307] |
| 2018–19 | Joe Hardy | England | FW | [nb 2] | [314] |
| 2019–20 | Jaakko Oksanen | Finland | MF | [nb 3] | [315] |
| 2020–21 | Aaron Pressley | Scotland | FW | [nb 3] | [316] |
| 2021–22 | Nathan Young-Coombes | England | FW | [nb 3] | [317] |
| 2022–23 | Alex Gilbert | Republic of Ireland | LW | [nb 3] | [318] |
Youth Team Player of the Year edit
| Season | Name | Nationality | Position | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | Matt Flitter | Wales | DF | [319] |
| 1996–97 | Ryan Denys | England | RW/FW | [319] |
| 2012–13 | George Pilbeam | England | RB | [320] |
| 2013–14 | Gradi Milenge | England | CB | [321] |
| 2014–15 | Nik Tzanev | New Zealand | GK | [133] |
| 2015–16 | Chris Mepham | Wales | CB | [322] |
Honours edit
Reserve Team/Development Squad/B Honours edit
Leagues edit
Capital League
- Winners (2): 1987–88, 1994–95[21]
Great Western Suburban League
- Winners (3): 1907–08, 1908–09, 1910–11[323]
- Winners (2): 1931–32, 1932–33[8]
London League First Division
- Winners (1): 1908–09[3]
London League Second Division
- Winners (1): 1902–03[3]
Cups edit
Capital League Cup
- Winners (4): 1987–88, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1994–95[21]
Hounslow Borough Cup
- Winners (1): 2011[35]
Kai Thor Cup
- Winners (1): 2017[74]
- Winners (1): 2018–19[78]
- Winners (1): 2021–22[79]
Youth Team Honours edit
Leagues edit
English Football League Youth Alliance
- Winners (1): 1983–84[91]
Cups edit
Hounslow Minor Shield
- Winners (1): 1948–49[85]
Chertsey Minor Cup
- Winners (1): 1949–50[324]
Frankfurt International Youth Tournament
- Winners (1): 1973[6]
West Middlesex Junior Cup: 1
- Winners (1): 1893–94[84]
Royal Mail Cup
- Winners (2): 1996, 1998[319]
Academy Team Honours edit
U15 edit
Milk Cup: 2
Sportfan Football Festival
- Winners (1): 2015[175]
U13 edit
Elite Neon Cup
- Winners (1): 2015[177]
U11 edit
England v Germany Tournament
- Winners (1): 2015 (silver phase)[180]
Other Honours edit
Brentford Griffins edit
Football Conference Youth Alliance / National League U19 Alliance
Noted graduates edit
Brentford's youth, reserve, Development Squad and B teams produced many players who made 25 or more appearances for the first team. Players marked * won a full international cap while with Brentford or later in their career. Players are listed according to the decade of their senior debut for the club.
| Pre-1960 | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s |
And those who made it elsewhere edit
Many former Brentford schoolboy, youth, reserve, Development Squad, B team and Community Sports Trust players found success with other clubs. Those marked † did not make a senior appearance for Brentford, but made a first team appearance for another club in a fully professional league. Players marked * won an international cap while with Brentford or later in their career. Players are listed according to the decade of their senior debut or, if they did not make a senior appearance, the decade of their departure from the club.
International players edit
Brentford's youth, reserve, Development Squad, B and Community Sports Trust teams have produced many players who were capped at full and youth international level during their career with the club.
| Name | Nationality | Position | Capped | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roy Syla | Albania | CM | U21 | [325] |
| Lachlan Brook | Australia | FW | U23 | [326] |
| Nikola Tavares | Croatia | CB | U18 | [327] |
| Nick Tsaroulla | Cyprus | LB | U21 | [328] |
| Jan Žambůrek | Czech Republic | CM | U21, U19, U18 | [329] |
| Mads Bidstrup | Denmark | MF | U21 | [330] |
| Gustav Mogensen | Denmark | FW | U19, U18 | [331] |
| Luka Racic | Denmark | CB | U21, U20 | [332] |
| Mads Roerslev | Denmark | RB | U21 | [333] |
| Justin Shaibu | Denmark | FW | U20 | [334] |
| Mads Bech Sørensen | Denmark | DF | U21, U19 | [335] |
| Lukas Talbro | Denmark | DF | U19, U18 | [336] |
| Benjamin Arthur | England | CB | U19 | [337] |
| Ellery Balcombe | England | GK | U20, U19, U18 | [338] |
| Ashley Bayes | brentford, reserves, academy, brentford, reserves, reserve, team, brentford, reserve, team, played, varying, times, from, 1900, until, 2011, during, 2012, season, english, reserve, football, pyramid, youth, system, overhauled, under, elite, player, performance. Brentford F C Reserves was the reserve team of Brentford The reserve team played at varying times from 1900 until 2011 During the 2012 off season the English reserve football pyramid and youth system was overhauled under the Elite Player Performance Plan and replaced with a new Academy system and development leagues Brentford s reserve team was relaunched as the Brentford Development Squad in 2011 and in 2012 it began competing in Professional Development League 2 South After closing the academy in May 2016 the club withdrew from the Elite Player Performance Plan and Professional Development League and launched a new Brentford B team Following the first team s promotion to the Premier League in 2021 the club reopened its academy in time for the start of the 2022 23 season under the Elite Player Performance Plan while retaining the B team Brentford BNickname s The BeesFounded2016GroundWheatsheaf Park Staines upon Thames Surrey Jersey Road Osterley Middlesex Brentford Community Stadium Brentford MiddlesexCapacity3 002Head coachNeil MacFarlaneWebsiteClub websiteHome coloursAway coloursThird colours Contents 1 Reserve team 1 1 Background 1 1 1 London League 1900 1914 1 1 2 Great Western Suburban League 1905 1911 1 1 3 South Eastern League 1914 1915 1 1 4 Football Combination 1919 1967 1998 1999 2000 2004 2009 2011 1 1 5 London Midweek League 1938 1939 1974 1985 1 1 6 Capital League 1984 1998 2 Development squad 2 1 Background 2 2 History 2011 2016 3 Brentford B 3 1 Original incarnation 1890s 3 2 Relaunch 2016 present 3 2 1 Background 3 2 2 Home stadiums 3 2 3 Matches cup competitions and tours 4 Youth team 5 Other teams 5 1 A Team 1920s 1930s 1940s 1959 1961 5 2 C Team 1890s 5 3 Elite Development Education Football Programme 2014 present 6 Centre of Excellence 7 Academy 7 1 Beginnings planning and function 2010 2016 7 2 Facility 7 3 Closure 2016 7 4 Reopening 2022 present 7 5 Teams 7 5 1 U18 7 5 2 U17 7 5 3 U16 7 5 4 U15 7 5 5 U14 7 5 6 U13 7 5 7 U11 7 6 Partnerships 7 6 1 UK 7 6 2 Europe 7 6 3 North America 7 6 4 Africa 8 Squad list 8 1 Brentford B 8 2 U18 9 Staff 9 1 Current staff 9 2 Reserve team Development Squad B Team manager history 9 3 Youth team U18 manager history 10 Awards 10 1 B Team 10 1 1 Mary Halder Award 10 1 2 Other Player of the Year awards 10 2 Youth Team Player of the Year 11 Honours 11 1 Reserve Team Development Squad B Honours 11 1 1 Leagues 11 1 2 Cups 11 2 Youth Team Honours 11 2 1 Leagues 11 2 2 Cups 11 3 Academy Team Honours 11 3 1 U15 11 3 2 U13 11 3 3 U11 11 4 Other Honours 11 4 1 Brentford Griffins 12 Noted graduates 12 1 And those who made it elsewhere 13 International players 14 Notes 15 References 16 External linksReserve team editBackground edit Brentford Reserves was formed to give young players and first team players returning from injury game time in a competitive environment The ever changing structure of the game in England in the late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the Brentford reserve team included in leagues competing against the first teams of amateur clubs On occasion the reserve team would compete in two leagues simultaneously Upon the Football League s acceptance of the Premier League s Elite Player Performance Plan in 2011 which replaced reserve teams with U21 Development Squads the reserve team was permanently disbanded 1 Winger Micky Ball made the most appearances for the reserve team 159 without having ever made a first team appearance 2 Two other players made more than 150 reserve team appearances Fred Ryecraft and Johnny Hales 2 London League 1900 1914 edit The reserve team entered the London League First Division in the 1900 01 season and finished 8th out of 11 3 Following a demotion the reserves were London League Second Division champions in 1902 03 and earned promotion back to the First Division 3 They finished third in the First Division in the 1903 04 season and were promoted to the Premier Division for 1904 05 finishing in 8th place 3 Bottom and second from bottom finishes saw the team back in the First Division for the 1908 09 season which saw the reserves promoted back to the Premier Division as champions 3 They achieved their highest Premier Division placing in 1909 10 finishing fifth 3 Mid table finishes followed in the Premier Division until 1913 14 when competing for the first time in an all professional reserve league Brentford Reserves finished bottom in their final season in the league before the outbreak of the First World War 4 Great Western Suburban League 1905 1911 edit The reserve team entered the Great Western Suburban League for the 1905 06 season and finished as champions in 1907 08 1908 09 and 1910 11 and runners up in 1905 06 1906 07 and 1909 10 5 Their main rivals during those years were Reading Reserves Hounslow and Shepherd s Bush 5 The 1910 11 title win in which the team failed to win only two of its games and was unbeaten during the season forced the league s management to ban professional clubs from competing which caused Brentford s departure from the league 6 South Eastern League 1914 1915 edit Brentford Reserves competed in the South Eastern League during the 1914 15 season but due to falling attendances brought on by the First World War the team was withdrawn from the league in January 1915 and its record was expunged 7 Football Combination 1919 1967 1998 1999 2000 2004 2009 2011 edit The reserve team spent much of its existence competing in the Football Combination Brentford Reserves were London Combination as the Football Combination was known then champions in 1931 32 and 1932 33 8 The title clinching game on 6 May 1933 against Aldershot Reserves was watched by a crowd of over 9 000 at Griffin Park the club record for a reserve team fixture 9 A notable achievement was 43 game winning run at Griffin Park between November 1931 and November 1933 10 Much of the success in those two seasons was down to the prolific goalscoring of Ralph Allen 9 Overspending and the subsequent cutting of costs forced the club to disband the reserve team and quit the Football Combination in 1967 8 The reserves re joined the Football Combination for the 1998 99 season 11 but withdrew at the end of the 1999 2000 season 12 The team rejoined for the 2000 01 season and a notable third place finish was achieved in 2001 02 13 14 The reserve team was withdrawn from competition in 2004 15 but was revived and won election to the Football Combination Central Division in 2009 16 The team played for two seasons before being replaced by the Brentford Development Squad in 2011 17 During its final two seasons the reserve team played its home games at Griffin Park 18 London Midweek League 1938 1939 1974 1985 edit A Brentford reserve team was entered into the London Midweek League for the 1938 39 season 19 The entry into the league was to give promising young professionals amateurs and any finds a test and to build up the playing strength 19 After the Brentford Reserve team was revived in 1974 the team re entered the London Midweek League 20 The team s best finish was as runners up in 1982 83 8 nbsp Brentford Reserves defend a Wycombe Wanderers attack during the 1988 Capital League Cup Final Brentford won the match on penalties Capital League 1984 1998 edit A reserve team was entered into the Capital League as founding members in 1984 21 Throughout its time in the league the reserve team was competitive and won the title in 1987 88 and 1995 96 22 The team won the Capital League Cup in 1987 88 1990 91 1991 92 and 1994 95 22 Development squad editBackground edit The Brentford Development Squad was launched in May 2011 17 The Development Squad played its home matches at the club s training ground at Jersey Road Osterley and a limited number of fixtures were played at Griffin Park 23 The team was made up of U21 players and was allowed to field three overage outfield players and one overage goalkeeper which enabled first team fringe players to get game time Scholars were also eligible to play for the Development Squad After impressing during the 2011 12 pre season Jake Reeves became the first Development Squad player to be promoted into the first team squad 24 Charlie Adams Josh Clarke and Mark Smith also graduated from the team 25 26 27 Josh Clarke made the most competitive appearances for the team during its existence 64 and Jan Holldack Luke Norris and Jermaine Udumaga tied as top scorers with 14 goals each 28 29 30 31 The Development Squad model was abandoned in May 2016 32 Speaking about the shortcomings of Professional Development League football then academy conditioning coach James Purdue stated in October 2020 that one of the big things for us was that physically the players weren t challenged enough to put them in a place where they were ready to step into first team football We looked a lot at data from U23 games and it wasn t comparable to first team football 33 History 2011 2016 edit The Development Squad played friendly matches during the 2011 12 season 34 It won its first silverware in August 2011 with a 3 2 victory over Bedfont Sports claiming the Hounslow Borough Cup 35 The team entered the Professional Development League 2 South for the 2012 13 season and finished fourth two places away from qualifying for the knockout stage 36 The 2013 14 2014 15 and 2015 16 seasons yielded poor finishes near the bottom of the table 37 38 39 The team entered the U21 Premier League Cup for only time in the 2015 16 season and reached the quarter finals 40 41 Brentford B editOriginal incarnation 1890s edit The original Brentford B team was active during the 1890s and functioned as the third XI below the first team and reserve team 42 From the beginning of the 1899 1900 season the B team was renamed Brentford Thursday 42 Relaunch 2016 present edit nbsp As of April 2024 right back Mads Roerslev has made the most Brentford first team appearances of any B team graduate Background edit After the Brentford Academy was closed at the end of the 2015 16 season 43 the Development Squad was renamed Brentford B 32 The team plays friendly matches against senior U23 U21 and academy teams 44 with a squad of players aged from 17 to 21 43 In addition the team plays in friendly cup competitions and entered competitive cups for the first time during the 2018 19 season 45 46 The players and staff are part of an ongoing exchange of information with Brentford s partner club FC Midtjylland 47 Owner Matthew Benham revealed in July 2016 that with the club needing to focus on the first team and its new stadium the B team seemed like a simpler and more attractive option 48 Then Head of Football Operations Robert Rowan stated that the team s initial objective was to promote at least one player into the first team squad by the end of the 2016 17 season 47 which was achieved when left back Tom Field was promoted in December 2016 49 By September 2023 28 B team contracted and loan players had made a first team appearance 50 As of April 2024 right back David Titov has made the most B team appearances with 103 51 In January 2019 Icelandic winger Kolbeinn Finnsson become the first B team player to win a full international cap while contracted to the team 52 In December 2023 right back Mads Roerslev became the first B team graduate to make 100 first team appearances 53 Robert Rowan described the recruitment process as being to identify different leagues where the physical qualities are often overlooked in favour of the tactical qualities whereas in England if you are physical you have a good chance of being a good player The tactical side of things can be taught and that there isn t much point in us going to scout young talent in lower league clubs as every Premier League club can out spend and out resource us 54 A 2022 article in The Athletic stated that Brentford often sign players for their B team who have fallen out of favour or been released from Premier League academies Non League sides have proven to be a fertile hunting ground too 55 Following the reopening of the Brentford academy in July 2022 the club s new U18 team fed into the B team 56 Speaking about the benefits of the B team for the players strength and conditioning coach James Purdue stated in October 2020 that the games programme tests them more physically and better prepares them for first team football It s also treated a lot more like a first team so the environment that they re used to is not dissimilar when they step up as we ve seen with our players over the course of the last four years the transition becomes easier It doesn t mean they re ready to slot straight in all the time but it means that they understand the requirements 33 Home stadiums edit In October 2023 Brentford took over the use of the vacant Wheatsheaf Park for B team home fixtures 57 Prior to that the B team played the majority of its home matches at the club s Jersey Road training ground 58 59 60 61 Prior to the club moving out of Griffin Park in 2020 62 the B team played occasional home matches at the ground 58 59 60 61 The team s first fixture at the Brentford Community Stadium was the 2022 23 Premier League Cup Final which was won 2 1 over Blackburn Rovers 63 The grounds of AFC Wimbledon Hanwell Town Metropolitan Police Bedfont Sports Woking Stevenage and Sutton United have also been utilised for home fixtures 61 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 Matches cup competitions and tours edit Brentford B does not play in a league and its fixtures are arranged independently 72 The B team s first fixture took place on 9 July 2016 against UC Santa Barbara Gauchos at Jersey Road which resulted in a 4 1 victory to the Bees 58 The team s debut season featured victories over U23 teams from Manchester United Liverpool on penalties West Bromwich Albion Queens Park Rangers Reading and Wolverhampton Wanderers 58 On 27 August 2020 the team played the final match at Griffin Park a 6 3 London Senior Cup semi final win over Erith Town 62 On 23 March 2023 the team played against a senior international XI for the first time and lost 2 0 to Ukraine at Plough Lane 73 Since its maiden cup appearance at the Kai Thor Cup in 2017 74 the team has entered a number of friendly and competitive cup competitions including the Middlesex Senior Cup the London Senior Cup 60 the Korantina Homes Cup the Atlantic Cup 75 the Premier League Cup and one off cup competitions 76 77 The team s cup wins include the 2017 Kai Thor Cup 74 the 2018 19 Middlesex Senior Cup the 2021 22 London Senior Cup and the 2022 23 Premier League Cup 63 78 79 Aside from overseas training camps 59 80 the team has toured Germany Italy Republic of Ireland Portugal Cyprus Spain and the Netherlands 44 81 82 83 Youth team editA Brentford youth team won the West Middlesex Junior Cup in 1893 94 84 A new youth team named Brentford Town Juniors was launched in 1948 and won the Hounslow Minor Shield in its inaugural season 85 Products of the team included Alan Bassham George Bristow Roy Hart and George Lowden 85 The youth team reached the semi finals of the FA Youth Cup in 1952 53 succumbing 8 1 on aggregate to the eventual winners Manchester United 86 Under the stewardship of Alf Bew and because of the financial constraints imposed on the first team the youth team of the early 1950s was particularly productive yielding Vernon Avis Johnny Pearson Gerry Cakebread Dennis Heath Jim Towers and George Francis 87 Following financial problems in 1967 the youth team was disbanded but was revived again in 1972 with money raised by supporters 88 The youth team won a youth tournament in Frankfurt the following year beating Frem in the final 6 with Richard Poole top scoring 88 Along with Poole Kevin Harding and Roy Cotton progressed to play league football with the first team while Gary Huxley won England Youth international honours 88 The youth team ceased playing competitive fixtures at the end of the 1973 74 season 89 The youth team was revived for the 1980 81 season 90 A team containing a young Keith Millen was crowned champions of the South East Counties League in 1983 84 91 A second FA Youth Cup semi final was reached in 1988 89 in which Brentford were beaten by Watford 86 After the dissolution of the South East Counties League the youths later competed in the Football League Youth Alliance and competing as an U19 team they were Merit Division One South champions in 2001 02 and 2002 03 92 The youths had a memorable run in the FA Youth Cup during the 2005 06 season beating Arsenal in the third round on penalties after extra time and finally succumbing 2 1 to Newcastle United in the fifth round 93 94 The team enjoyed another run in the 2011 12 FA Youth Cup beating Lewes Southend United and Hull City before being knocked out in the fourth round by Stoke City 95 Other teams editA Team 1920s 1930s 1940s 1959 1961 edit A third Brentford team known as Brentford A was active in the late 1920s and early 1930s and then again from 1948 96 97 The team later competed in the Seanglian League in 1959 60 and finished in mid table 98 The As fared worse the following season finishing second from bottom and was disbanded 98 The team was managed by former first team goalkeeper Ted Gaskell with Eddie Lyons as his assistant 99 Future key players John Docherty Tommy Higginson and Peter Gelson began their Brentford careers in the team 100 C Team 1890s edit Brentford C functioned as a fourth XI and was active during the 1890s 42 It later became known as Brentford Old Boys 42 Elite Development Education Football Programme 2014 present edit The Brentford FC Community Sports Trust in partnership with West Thames College runs an Elite Development Education Football Programme which sees boys between the ages of 16 18 train with the club three times a week while also studying for BTEC courses at the college 101 The course also provides the opportunity for the players to gain FA coaching qualifications 102 Between 2014 and 2018 two U19 teams Brentford Griffins and Brentford Bees 103 participated in the Football Conference Youth Alliance and the National League U19 Alliance and played their home matches at King s House Sports Ground 104 105 The teams played their inaugural seasons in 2014 15 and Brentford Griffins won the Football Conference Youth Alliance London amp South East division title 103 106 Despite the title win coach Dan Wright revealed that the teams had fallen short of providing new scholars for the academy 107 Brentford Griffins again finished champions in the 2015 16 season winning Division F and advancing to the playoff semi finals 108 109 From the beginning of the 2016 17 season the Griffins and Bees became the de facto replacement for the Youth Team offering a pathway to the B team for local teenage players of the required standard 110 In 2016 Ellery Balcombe became the first player to graduate from the programme and sign a professional B team contract 111 He was promoted into the first team squad in 2018 and made his first team debut in 2023 50 In 2018 Brentford Griffins and Bees were merged to form a single team Brentford CST Bees which entered the National League U19 Alliance and finished fourth in Division C 112 An additional CST team entered the Community amp Education Football Alliance CEFA for the 2018 19 season and reached the final of the CEFA Regional Cup 113 114 Jason Evans a player for Brentford CST Bees and the club s CEFA team 115 was nominated for the CEFA Player of the Year award at the 2019 EFL Awards 116 The number of CEFA teams was increased to three for the 2019 20 season under the names Bees Griffins and Reds 117 118 119 Also in the 2019 20 season an U19 team was entered into the South Premier Division of the National Youth Football League and the team transferred to the National League U19 Alliance for 2022 23 120 121 122 As of October 2020 former Brentford youth graduate Ryan Peters was running the programme 123 Following the reopening of the Brentford academy during the 2022 off season 56 the U18 academy team fielded the Community Sports Trust s players during the 2022 23 season 124 Centre of Excellence editThe Brentford Centre of Excellence was formed to nurture youth talent and was headed by Barry Quin Director Of Youth Football at the club for 20 years 125 Quin was succeeded in the role by Ose Aibangee in January 2010 and officially left the club in July 2010 125 126 During the interim period before academy status was awarded in July 2013 Brentford operated a four tier youth system Development Squad ages 18 21 U18 ages 16 18 Junior Centre of Excellence ages 9 15 and Pre Academy age 9 and under 127 The Centre of Excellence ceased to exist in 2013 128 Academy editBeginnings planning and function 2010 2016 edit nbsp Central defender Chris Mepham was the first former Brentford academy player to be capped at full international level for Wales Plans to upgrade the Centre Of Excellence to an academy began in 2010 after the takeover of the club by Matthew Benham 129 In December 2012 permission was granted by Hillingdon Council s South and Central Planning Committee for Brentford to build a Category Two Academy on the grounds of Uxbridge High School 130 The academy facility was paid for by the club with a contribution from the school 130 In July 2013 the academy was awarded Category Two status for the next three years 128 Brentford was the only League One club to make the advance from a Centre Of Excellence to a Category Two Academy 128 At the official opening of the academy in January 2014 Ose Aibangee predicted that by 2019 a Brentford academy graduate would be selected for the England national team 131 In April 2014 after the first team s promotion to the Championship for the 2014 15 season then U18 defender Richard Bryan said he believed that the academy could step up to produce players to play at Championship level saying for all the players here that want to get into the first team it is definitely another step up and a harder challenge but they have got to step up to the plate and be ready for it There is a hunger in the team and in the coaches 132 An indicator of the academy beginning to bear fruit was evidenced by the call ups of Joshua Bohui Harry Francis and Ross McMahon to England and Scotland youth level training camps respectively during the 2014 15 season 133 Julius Fenn Evans won Wales U16 caps in April 2015 134 Ian Poveda represented England at U16 level in August 2015 and Joshua Bohui made his England U17 debut in February 2016 135 136 In March 2018 central defender Chris Mepham became the first former academy player to be capped at full international level by Wales and in January 2019 he transferred away from the club for an undisclosed fee 137 reported to be 12 million 55 In March 2022 Crystal Palace left back Tyrick Mitchell became the first former Brentford academy player to be capped by England at full international level 138 139 Facility edit The Brentford Academy was based in an indoor facility on the grounds of Uxbridge High School and became fully operational in November 2013 140 The academy building contained a 60m x 50m third generation AstroTurf pitch learning zones changing rooms a gym and a physiotherapy room 140 The academy was officially opened on 16 January 2014 by FA chairman and former Brentford chairman Greg Dyke 141 Closure 2016 edit On 11 May 2016 a statement from co directors of football Phil Giles and Rasmus Ankersen revealed that prior the beginning of the 2016 17 season Brentford would withdraw from the Elite Player Performance Plan the Professional Development League and would no longer run a full academy system between U8 and U21 level 43 Owner Matthew Benham later revealed the reasons for the closure in an open letter saying it is a competitive area there are lots of academies in London The risk is you have a great player but he defects at the age of 16 and you get peanuts in return In theory the player builds up loyalty to the club but in practice there are other factors and the parents have an influence EPPP made it difficult to run an academy but also there is only so much the club can focus on Overall it seems to be difficult for smaller academies to keep hold of players 48 A 2017 article in The Guardian stated that at a cost of around 2m a year Brentford decided it was simply too much of a risk that their academy with so much competition on its doorstep in London would produce enough first team players to make that investment worthwhile 54 Co director of football Rasmus Ankersen stated in 2020 that for every player produced who is good enough for the first team there are seven or eight who don t make it You can accept that if when that one player comes through in whom you have invested so much his sale can effectively pay for the rest But when those talents did come through their scholarships ended at 17 they became free agents and went off and joined Manchester United and Manchester City We ended up getting something ridiculous like 30 000 because that s what they judge their training to have been worth It s like having a winning lottery ticket and then someone comes along and steals it 142 Reopening 2022 present edit In December 2021 a public consultation began regarding a new planning application for improved facilities at Brentford s Jersey Road training ground 143 With the Brentford s promotion to the Premier League in 2021 the club stated that new facilities could be utilised for a football academy in line with UEFA requirements 143 With aspirations of the first team playing in European competitions UEFA rules stipulate that clubs who wish to take part in its competitions have to operate an academy otherwise they will be refused entry 55 Following the preservation of Brentford s Premier League status at the end of the 2021 22 season it was reported that talks were underway to reopen the academy 55 On 15 July 2022 Brentford announced that it had been granted a licence to open and operate an Academy under the Elite Player Performance Plan and would initially open a Category Four Academy for the start of the 2022 23 season 56 In March 2023 Brentford opened a Development Centre for players between the ages of 9 and 16 and in May 2024 144 construction began on new academy facilities at the club s Jersey Road training ground 145 Teams edit U18 edit Under the Elite Player Performance Plan the Brentford Youth Team was officially renamed as the Brentford U18 team in 2012 though it continued to be colloquially known as the youth team and fielded scholars U16s and U15s During its initial four season existence the team played in the Professional U18 Development League 2 South It saw little success 146 147 148 bar the 2014 15 season in which it qualified for the Professional U18 Development League 2 South knockout stage for the only time 149 The team progressed to the final of the knockout stage and were defeated 1 0 by Charlton Athletic 150 10 second year scholars graduated from the U18 team to sign professional contracts in April 2015 151 the generation which had previously won the Junior category at the 2012 Milk Cup while U15s 152 In cup competitions the U18s reached the 2013 Middlesex Senior Youth Cup Final but were defeated 6 1 by Wealdstone 153 In December 2014 the team was invited to take part in the prestigious IMG Cup Boys Invitational at the IMG Academy in Bradenton Florida and finished the tournament tied in fifth position with United States U17 154 The academy was closed at the end of the 2015 16 season and the team ceased to exist with the majority of the scholars being released or sold 43 155 During the team s initial four year history the highest appearance maker was Zain Westbrooke 55 and Bradley Clayton top scored 20 156 157 158 159 In July 2022 the reopening of the Brentford academy saw the creation of a new U18 team and it took part in the EFL Youth Alliance South East Conference the EFL Youth Alliance Cup and the FA Youth Cup during the 2022 23 season 56 160 The team was run in conjunction with the club s Community Sports Trust and fielded its players 124 From the beginning of the 2023 24 season the team fielded a new intake of academy scholars and finished the campaign as champions of the EFL Youth Alliance Merit League 2 161 162 163 After the club acquired use of the vacant Wheatsheaf Park in October 2023 the team began playing home matches there 57 U17 edit The U17 team played outside the United Kingdom for the first time when they journeyed to the Netherlands for a friendly match against AZ Alkmaar s Academy on 29 October 2013 with Brentford running out 4 1 winners 164 The U17s entered the Milk Cup for the first time in 2014 going out on penalties to Club America in the Premier Section Globe semi final 165 U16 edit On 29 October 2014 the U16s took on a Barcelona youth team in a prestigious friendly at La Masia Brentford took the lead through Danny Parish but lost 2 1 166 12 members of the 2014 15 team signed scholarship deals in April 2015 167 with Parish being the only member of the group to sign a professional contract at Griffin Park 32 U15 edit Brentford made its Milk Cup debut in 2010 and finished 23rd out of 24 entries 168 The team had some joy in the competition s Dunluce Trophy finishing as runners up to County Down 169 The U15 team were winners of the Junior category at the 2012 Milk Cup seeing off CSKA Moscow and Liverpool along the way and beating Everton in the final 168 170 171 The U15s again competed in the Junior category in 2013 Milk Cup and lost 3 2 to a Japan FA team in the Junior Vase final 172 The team were 2 1 victors over Inter Milan U15 in a friendly played at the Italian club s academy on 17 April 2014 173 At the 2014 Milk Cup the U15s won the Junior Globe 174 The U15s were victorious at the 2015 Sportfan Football Festival in Lithuania beating Skonto FC in the semi finals and FM Vilnius in the final 175 U14 edit At the time of the resumption of the Brentford youth system in 1970 an U14 team was created and coached by former player Ken Horne 176 U13 edit In May 2016 the U13 team won the Elite Neon Cup in Greece beating AEK Athens in the final 177 U11 edit In June 2014 an U11 team entered the 28 team Holstein Cup held in Bad Oldesloe Germany and finished third in the tournament behind Hertha 03 Zehlendorf and Borussia Monchengladbach 178 In late February 2015 Brentford hosted a prestigious England vs Germany U11 tournament featuring teams from the academies of Arsenal Liverpool Manchester United Tottenham Hotspur Bayern Munich Hertha Berlin Hannover 96 and Schalke 04 179 Brentford won the Silver Group to finish runners up in the tournament behind Manchester United 180 The U11s took part in the Mediterranean International Cup in April 2015 going out to Valencia in the last 16 181 Partnerships edit The academy had a number of partnerships with football clubs and sports organisations in and outside the UK UK edit Uxbridge High School 182 North Hertfordshire College AVC Sports Management 183 Elite Preparation Centre 184 CB Hounslow United 185 Football Magic Coaching 186 University of Westminster 187 Rural Friendly League 188 Isledon Wolves 189 West Thames College 190 GSK Human Performance Lab 191 Europe edit UMF Selfoss Iceland 192 Combined Counties Football League Ireland 193 FC Midtjylland Denmark 194 Kapylan Pallo Finland 195 North America edit Next Gen USA United States 196 Africa edit Gulu United Uganda 197 Squad list editBrentford B edit Name Nationality Position Date of birth age Signed from Signed in Contract ends Notes International caps nb 1 Pro Goalkeepers 41 Vincent Angelini nbsp GK 2003 09 12 12 September 2003 age 20 Watford 2023 2024 1 198 Marley Tavaziva nbsp GK 2004 12 17 17 December 2004 age 19 Brentford CST 2022 2024 Scholar 199 Ben Winterbottom nbsp GK 2001 07 16 16 July 2001 age 22 Liverpool 2021 2025 1 200 Defenders 42 Val Adedokun c nbsp LB 2003 02 14 14 February 2003 age 21 Dundalk 2021 2026 1 nbsp U19 201 50 Benjamin Arthur nbsp CB 2005 10 09 9 October 2005 age 18 Peterborough United 2023 2026 nbsp U19 202 Romeo Beckham nbsp FB 2002 09 01 1 September 2002 age 21 Inter Miami II 2023 2024 1 203 Tristan Crama nbsp CB 2001 11 08 8 November 2001 age 22 AS Beziers 2020 2026 1 Loaned to Bristol Rovers 204 Max Dickov nbsp FB 2002 04 27 27 April 2002 age 22 Stockport Town 2022 2024 1 205 Charlie Farr nbsp FB 2001 09 11 11 September 2001 age 22 Unattached 2022 2024 1 206 43 Benjamin Fredrick nbsp CB 2005 05 28 28 May 2005 age 18 Simoiben 2023 2028 1 207 36 Kim Ji soo nbsp CB 2004 12 24 24 December 2004 age 19 Seongnam 2023 2027 1 nbsp U23 208 Conor McManus nbsp LB 2004 06 16 16 June 2004 age 19 Bray Wanderers 2023 2025 1 209 Daniel Oyegoke nbsp RB 2003 01 03 3 January 2003 age 21 Arsenal 2021 2024 1 Loaned to Bradford City nbsp U20 210 Byron Wilson nbsp FB 2005 10 23 23 October 2005 age 18 Unattached 2022 2024 1 211 Erion Zabeli nbsp CB 2004 09 08 8 September 2004 age 19 Oxford United 2023 2024 1 212 Midfielders Beaux Booth nbsp MF 2005 12 17 17 December 2005 age 18 Dorking Wanderers 2023 2025 Scholar 213 38 Ethan Brierley nbsp MF 2003 11 23 23 November 2003 age 20 Rochdale 2023 2026 1 214 Ben Krauhaus nbsp MF 2004 10 12 12 October 2004 age 19 Bromley 2024 2027 1 Loaned to Bromley 215 Riley Owen nbsp CM 2005 08 24 24 August 2005 age 18 Tottenham Hotspur 2023 2024 1 216 Mukhammadali Urinboev nbsp AM 2005 04 24 24 April 2005 age 19 Pakhtakor 2024 2024 On loan from Pakhtakor 217 Angel Waruih nbsp CM 2003 12 09 9 December 2003 age 20 Plymouth Argyle 2022 2024 1 218 Max Wilcox nbsp CM 2003 09 11 11 September 2003 age 20 Bolton Wanderers 2022 2024 1 219 Attackers Ashley Hay nbsp FW 2002 age 21 22 Hitchin Town 2023 2024 220 Isaac Holland nbsp FW 2005 09 02 2 September 2005 age 18 Sheffield Wednesday 2022 2025 221 Ethan Laidlaw nbsp FW 2005 01 02 2 January 2005 age 19 Hibernian 2023 2025 1 222 Kyreece Lisbie nbsp W 2003 12 01 1 December 2003 age 20 Watford 2022 2024 1 223 Iwan Morgan nbsp FW 2006 01 29 29 January 2006 age 18 Swansea City 2023 2027 nbsp U19 224 37 Michael Olakigbe nbsp LW 2004 04 06 6 April 2004 age 20 Fulham 2022 2028 1 Loaned to Peterborough United nbsp U20 225 Tony Yogane nbsp W 2005 09 24 24 September 2005 age 18 Sheffield Wednesday 2022 2025 226 Nathan Young Coombes nbsp FW 2003 01 15 15 January 2003 age 21 Rangers 2021 2024 1 227 U18 edit Name Nationality Position Date of birth age Signed from Signed in Contract ends Pro Goalkeepers Evan Anderson nbsp GK 2006 10 22 22 October 2006 age 17 St Mirren 2023 2025 228 Reggie Rose nbsp GK 2005 04 26 26 April 2005 age 19 Kinetic Academy 2023 2024 229 Connor Wolfheimer nbsp GK 2007 03 03 3 March 2007 age 17 Kingstonian 2023 2025 230 Defenders Gregory Asemokhai nbsp CB 2006 09 03 3 September 2006 age 17 ECA Academy 2023 2025 231 Remy Bennison nbsp LB 2006 01 03 3 January 2006 age 18 Cre8tive Academy 2023 2024 232 Andre Grey nbsp DF 2006 02 24 24 February 2006 age 18 Corinthian Casuals 2023 2025 1 233 Chanse Headman nbsp CB 2005 06 03 3 June 2005 age 18 Walton amp Hersham 2023 2024 234 Konstantin Ivanov nbsp LB 2006 12 03 3 December 2006 age 17 Bracknell Town 2023 2025 235 Matas Klimas nbsp DF 2007 07 31 31 July 2007 age 16 Tottenham Hotspur 2024 2025 236 Trae Payet nbsp RB 2006 11 15 15 November 2006 age 17 Norwich City 2023 2025 237 Kerron Samuels nbsp CB 2006 07 21 21 July 2006 age 17 Liverpool 2023 2025 1 238 Freddie Taylor nbsp RB 2006 10 05 5 October 2006 age 17 Cre8tive Academy 2023 2025 239 Midfielders Yaw Agyei nbsp MF 2005 09 22 22 September 2005 age 18 Pro Direct Academy Northampton 2023 2025 1 240 Mikel Francis nbsp CM 2006 09 28 28 September 2006 age 17 Erith amp Belvedere 2023 2025 241 Kaya Halil nbsp AM 2006 09 19 19 September 2006 age 17 Tottenham Hotspur 2023 2025 242 Michael McSorley nbsp MF Brentford CST 2024 2025 1 243 Babu Ombok nbsp CM Brightlingsea Regent 2024 2024 244 Adam Poliakov nbsp MF 2023 2024 245 Attackers Josh Djoro nbsp FW 2006 12 29 29 December 2006 age 17 Millwall 2023 2025 246 Omaru King nbsp W 2006 07 19 19 July 2006 age 17 Corinthian Casuals 2023 2024 247 Emeka Peters nbsp W 2007 01 13 13 January 2007 age 17 Fulham 2023 2025 248 Ollie Shield nbsp W 2006 09 25 25 September 2006 age 17 Southampton 2023 2025 249 Staff editCurrent staff edit nbsp Neil MacFarlane has served as head coach of Brentford B since May 2019 250 Name Role Ref Neil MacFarlane B head coach 250 Vacant B assistant head coach amp technical lead 251 Sam Saunders B assistant head coach 252 Jani Viander B goalkeeper coach 253 James Purdue B strength and conditioning coach 254 Vacant B physiotherapist Aimee Evans B performance coach 255 Kieran Swift B analyst 256 Lydia Bedford U18 head coach 257 Jon Paul Pittman U18 assistant head coach 257 Chris Ramsey U18 goalkeeper coach 258 Louis Hutton U18 physiotherapist 259 Steve Torpey Academy director 260 Michael Adesida Academy head of recruitment 261 Ryan Peters Academy head of education Elite Development Programme coach 102 262 Haydee Agras Academy analyst 263 Ben Lampert Community Sports Trust coach 264 Jerome Okimo Community Sports Trust coach 264 Peter Prickett Community Sports Trust coach 264 Tommy Ryan Maynard Community Sports Trust coach 264 Kristian Wooster Community Sports Trust coach 264 Marco Gianluigi De Lauri Community Sports Trust goalkeeper coach 264 Joe McEachran Community Sports Trust strength amp conditioning coach 264 Casey Smyth Community Sports Trust physiotherapist 264 Reserve team Development Squad B Team manager history edit This list is incomplete you can help by adding missing items October 2013 Name Nationality From To Ref Jackie Goodwin nbsp England 265 Phil Holder nbsp England September 1990 266 Graham Pearce nbsp England 267 Kevin Lock nbsp England May 1993 May 1998 268 Roberto Forzoni nbsp England July 2001 2003 269 Adrian Whitbread nbsp England 2004 2006 270 Darren Sarll nbsp England 2009 24 May 2011 271 Jon de Souza nbsp England 7 July 2011 21 October 2014 272 Lee Carsley nbsp Republic of Ireland 21 October 2014 28 September 2015 273 Kevin O Connor nbsp Republic of Ireland 28 September 2015 4 January 2016 274 Flemming Pedersen nbsp Denmark 4 January 2016 16 November 2016 275 Kevin O Connor nbsp Republic of Ireland 17 November 2016 12 December 2018 276 Lars Friis nbsp Denmark 13 December 2018 29 May 2019 277 Neil MacFarlane nbsp Scotland 30 May 2019 Present 250 Youth team U18 manager history edit This list is incomplete you can help by adding missing items October 2013 Name Nationality From To Ref Alf Bew nbsp England May 1948 1954 278 Ernest Muttitt nbsp England 1955 1957 Jackie Goodwin nbsp England 1957 1963 279 Ian Black nbsp Scotland 280 Roy Ruffell nbsp England 1970 March 1972 281 282 Phil Jarrett nbsp England March 1972 1972 283 Peter Chadwick nbsp England 1972 284 Len Roe nbsp England 1978 285 Alan Humphries nbsp England 1980 January 1981 286 Dai Jones nbsp Wales January 1981 1981 286 Ron Harris nbsp England 1981 1982 287 Brent Hills nbsp England 1982 September 1988 288 Colin Lee nbsp England 1988 August 1989 289 Tony Gourvish nbsp England August 1989 290 Joe Gadston nbsp England May 1993 90 291 Stuart Morgan nbsp Wales 1993 October 1993 292 293 Peter Nicholas nbsp Wales October 1993 1994 294 Bob Booker nbsp England 1994 2000 295 Geoff Taylor nbsp England 2000 September 2004 296 Barry Quin nbsp England 25 October 2004 2005 297 Scott Fitzgerald nbsp Republic of Ireland June 2005 21 December 2006 298 Bobby Paterson nbsp England January 2007 11 September 2007 299 Scott Marshall nbsp Scotland 11 September 2007 2008 299 Darren Sarll nbsp England June 2008 24 May 2011 271 Jon de Souza nbsp England 6 July 2011 May 2012 272 Louis Lancaster nbsp England May 2012 16 November 2012 300 Jon de Souza nbsp England 16 November 2012 28 November 2012 301 Jeremy Steele nbsp England 28 November 2012 7 October 2014 302 303 Jon de Souza nbsp England October 2014 May 2016 304 305 Eddie Keen nbsp England 2022 1 June 2023 306 Lydia Bedford nbsp England 1 June 2023 Present 257 Awards editB Team edit Mary Halder Award edit Season Name Nationality Position Ref 2016 17 Chris Mepham nbsp Wales CB 307 2017 18 Marcus Forss nbsp Finland FW 308 2018 19 Ali Coote nbsp Scotland MF 309 2019 20 Nathan Shepperd nbsp Wales GK 310 2020 21 Fin Stevens nbsp Wales RB 311 2021 22 Dom Jefferies nbsp Wales MF 312 2022 23 Ryan Trevitt nbsp England MF 313 Other Player of the Year awards edit Season Name Nationality Position Award Ref 2016 17 Zain Westbrooke nbsp England MF nb 2 307 2018 19 Joe Hardy nbsp England FW nb 2 314 2019 20 Jaakko Oksanen nbsp Finland MF nb 3 315 2020 21 Aaron Pressley nbsp Scotland FW nb 3 316 2021 22 Nathan Young Coombes nbsp England FW nb 3 317 2022 23 Alex Gilbert nbsp Republic of Ireland LW nb 3 318 Youth Team Player of the Year edit Season Name Nationality Position Ref 1994 95 Matt Flitter nbsp Wales DF 319 1996 97 Ryan Denys nbsp England RW FW 319 2012 13 George Pilbeam nbsp England RB 320 2013 14 Gradi Milenge nbsp England CB 321 2014 15 Nik Tzanev nbsp New Zealand GK 133 2015 16 Chris Mepham nbsp Wales CB 322 Honours editReserve Team Development Squad B Honours edit Leagues edit Capital League Winners 2 1987 88 1994 95 21 Great Western Suburban League Winners 3 1907 08 1908 09 1910 11 323 London Combination Winners 2 1931 32 1932 33 8 London League First Division Winners 1 1908 09 3 London League Second Division Winners 1 1902 03 3 Cups edit Capital League Cup Winners 4 1987 88 1990 91 1991 92 1994 95 21 Hounslow Borough Cup Winners 1 2011 35 Kai Thor Cup Winners 1 2017 74 Middlesex Senior Cup Winners 1 2018 19 78 London Senior Cup Winners 1 2021 22 79 Premier League Cup Winners 1 2022 23 63 Youth Team Honours edit Leagues edit English Football League Youth Alliance First Division South 2 2001 02 2002 03 92 Merit League 2 1 2023 24 163 South East Counties League Winners 1 1983 84 91 Cups edit Hounslow Minor Shield Winners 1 1948 49 85 Chertsey Minor Cup Winners 1 1949 50 324 Frankfurt International Youth Tournament Winners 1 1973 6 West Middlesex Junior Cup 1 Winners 1 1893 94 84 Royal Mail Cup Winners 2 1996 1998 319 Academy Team Honours edit U15 edit Milk Cup 2 Winners 1 2012 Junior 168 Winners 1 2014 Junior Globe 174 Sportfan Football Festival Winners 1 2015 175 U13 edit Elite Neon Cup Winners 1 2015 177 U11 edit England v Germany Tournament Winners 1 2015 silver phase 180 Other Honours edit Brentford Griffins edit Football Conference Youth Alliance National League U19 Alliance Winners 1 2014 15 London amp South East Division 106 Winners 1 2015 16 Division F 108 Noted graduates editMain article List of Brentford F C playersBrentford s youth reserve Development Squad and B teams produced many players who made 25 or more appearances for the first team Players marked won a full international cap while with Brentford or later in their career Players are listed according to the decade of their senior debut for the club Pre 1960 nbsp Alan Bassham nbsp Wally Bragg nbsp George Bristow nbsp Gerry Cakebread nbsp George Francis nbsp Dennis Heath nbsp Frank Latimer nbsp Terry Ledgerton nbsp Bertie Rosier nbsp Sid Russell nbsp Les Smith nbsp Jim Towers 1960s nbsp Tom Anthony nbsp George Dobson nbsp Peter Gelson nbsp Jimmy Gitsham nbsp Alan Hawley nbsp Keith Hooker nbsp Gordon Phillips nbsp Eddie Reeve nbsp John Richardson nbsp Fred Ryecraft 1970s nbsp Bob Booker nbsp Danis Salman nbsp Nigel Smith nbsp Paul Walker 1980s nbsp Jamie Bates nbsp Paul Buckle nbsp Jason Cousins nbsp Marcus Gayle nbsp Roger Joseph nbsp Tony Lynch nbsp Keith Millen nbsp Robbie Peters nbsp Terry Rowe 1990s nbsp Marcus Bent nbsp Scott Fitzgerald nbsp Carl Hutchings nbsp David McGhee nbsp Kevin Rapley 2000s nbsp Darius Charles nbsp Michael Dobson nbsp Charlie Ide nbsp Kevin O Connor nbsp Karleigh Osborne nbsp Ryan Peters nbsp Matt Somner nbsp Mark Williams 2010s nbsp Josh Clarke nbsp Marcus Forss nbsp Chris Mepham nbsp Jake Reeves nbsp Mads Roerslev nbsp Mads Bech Sorensen nbsp Jan Zamburek And those who made it elsewhere edit Many former Brentford schoolboy youth reserve Development Squad B team and Community Sports Trust players found success with other clubs Those marked did not make a senior appearance for Brentford but made a first team appearance for another club in a fully professional league Players marked won an international cap while with Brentford or later in their career Players are listed according to the decade of their senior debut or if they did not make a senior appearance the decade of their departure from the club Pre 1960 nbsp Philip Allen nbsp Vernon Avis nbsp Ted Ballard nbsp Tony Biggs nbsp Billy Bloomfield nbsp Peter Broadbent nbsp Micky Bull nbsp Donald Cock nbsp Alan Eagles nbsp Ray Ferris nbsp Roy Hart nbsp Doug Keene nbsp George Lowden nbsp Vince McNeice nbsp John Moore nbsp Frank Morrad nbsp Robert Morris nbsp Johnny Pearson nbsp Cecil Smith nbsp Bert Stephens 1960s nbsp Phil Basey nbsp Robin Friday nbsp Joe Gadston nbsp Bobby Goldthorpe nbsp John Jackson nbsp Dick Lowrie nbsp Tim Souter 1970s nbsp David Byrne nbsp Roy Cotton nbsp Graham Cox nbsp Alan Devonshire nbsp Kevin Harding nbsp Graham Pearce nbsp Richard Poole nbsp Gary Rolph nbsp Gary Smith nbsp Billy Stagg nbsp Billy Sweetzer 1980s nbsp David Byrne nbsp Jimmy Dack nbsp Andy Driscoll nbsp Andy Gray nbsp Kelly Haag nbsp Matthew Howard nbsp Robert Rosario nbsp Tony Spencer nbsp Kevin Teer nbsp Keith Tonge 1990s nbsp Rocky Baptiste nbsp Ashley Bayes nbsp Jon Brady nbsp Dean Clark nbsp Peter Crouch nbsp Ryan Denys nbsp Tamer Fernandes nbsp Dean Hooper nbsp Clement James nbsp Barry Miller nbsp Chris Moore nbsp Scott Morgan nbsp Craig Ravenscroft nbsp Nevin Saroya 2000s nbsp Danny Allen Page nbsp Denis Behan nbsp Lloyd Blackman nbsp Seb Brown nbsp Karle Carder Andrews nbsp Lewis Dark nbsp Ivailo Dimitrov nbsp Lee Fieldwick nbsp Fraser Franks nbsp Stephen Hendry nbsp Sean Hillier nbsp Ryan Hirooka nbsp Stephen Hughes nbsp Chris Hussey nbsp Alan Julian nbsp Josh Lennie nbsp Clark Masters nbsp Ross Montague nbsp Luke Muldowney nbsp Lewis Ochoa nbsp Lanre Oyebanjo nbsp Jamie Palmer nbsp Aaron Steele nbsp Jay Smith nbsp Robert Traynor nbsp Ryan Watts nbsp Scott Weight nbsp Dean Wells 2010s nbsp Charlie Adams nbsp Daniel Adu Adjei nbsp Charlie Allen nbsp Theo Archibald nbsp Raphael Assibey Mensah nbsp Rachid Balde nbsp Ryan Blake nbsp Joshua Bohui nbsp Elliot Bonds nbsp James Bransgrove nbsp Richard Bryan nbsp Chris Bush nbsp Ilias Chatzitheodoridis nbsp Reece Cole nbsp Matt Dibley Dias nbsp JJ Donnelly nbsp James Ferry nbsp Tom Field nbsp Kolbeinn Finnsson nbsp Chris Forino Joseph nbsp Antonio German nbsp Patrik Gunnarsson nbsp Dennis Gyamfi nbsp Myles Hippolyte nbsp Jan Holldack nbsp Zeno Ibsen Rossi nbsp Nile John nbsp Paul Kalambayi nbsp Levi Laing nbsp Josh Laurent nbsp Isaac Layne nbsp Thimothee Lo Tutala nbsp Dermi Lusala nbsp Ronayne Marsh Brown nbsp Alfie Mawson nbsp Luke Mbete nbsp Tyrick Mitchell nbsp Montell Moore nbsp Nathan Moriah Welsh nbsp Mikael Ndjoli nbsp Luke Norris nbsp Jan Novak nbsp Ollie O Neill nbsp Daniel O Shaughnessy nbsp Jaakko Oksanen nbsp Manny Onariase nbsp Michael Onovwigun nbsp Paul Osew nbsp Majed Osman nbsp Seth Owens nbsp Manny Oyeleke nbsp Aaron Pierre nbsp David Pitt nbsp Ian Poveda nbsp Luka Racic nbsp Lewis Richards nbsp Courtney Senior nbsp Justin Shaibu nbsp Fumnaya Shomotun nbsp Xavier Simons nbsp Harry Smith nbsp Showkat Tahir nbsp Nikola Tavares nbsp Nik Tzanev nbsp Jermaine Udumaga nbsp Terence Vancooten nbsp Kyle Vassell nbsp Lawrence Vigouroux nbsp Abdul Rahman Weiss nbsp Zain Westbrooke nbsp Ollie Wright 2020s nbsp Joe Adams nbsp J Neil Bennett nbsp Mads Bidstrup nbsp Lachlan Brook nbsp Canice Carroll nbsp Ali Coote nbsp Cole Dasilva nbsp Alex Gilbert nbsp Lewis Gordon nbsp Fredrik Hammar nbsp Joe Hardy nbsp Max Haygarth nbsp Ben Hockenhull nbsp Dom Jefferies nbsp Nico Jones nbsp Matej Majka nbsp Gustav Mogensen nbsp Jayden Onen nbsp Aaron Pressley nbsp Edon Pruti nbsp Arthur Read nbsp Nick Tsaroulla International players editMain article List of Brentford F C international playersBrentford s youth reserve Development Squad B and Community Sports Trust teams have produced many players who were capped at full and youth international level during their career with the club Name Nationality Position Capped Ref Roy Syla nbsp Albania CM U21 325 Lachlan Brook nbsp Australia FW U23 326 Nikola Tavares nbsp Croatia CB U18 327 Nick Tsaroulla nbsp Cyprus LB U21 328 Jan Zamburek nbsp Czech Republic CM U21 U19 U18 329 Mads Bidstrup nbsp Denmark MF U21 330 Gustav Mogensen nbsp Denmark FW U19 U18 331 Luka Racic nbsp Denmark CB U21 U20 332 Mads Roerslev nbsp Denmark RB U21 333 Justin Shaibu nbsp Denmark FW U20 334 Mads Bech Sorensen nbsp Denmark DF U21 U19 335 Lukas Talbro nbsp Denmark DF U19 U18 336 Benjamin Arthur nbsp England CB U19 337 Ellery Balcombe nbsp England GK U20 U19 U18 338 Ashley Bayes span cla, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library, article, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, 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