Halfway through his first season in west London, Brentford Under-18s forward Domeiro Bobb-Semple says the step up in age groups has provided him with “a good challenge”.

Domeiro joined the Bees last summer from Arsenal after being with the young Gunners from pre-academy until U16s.

Having not being offered a scholar by the north London club, an opportunity arose for him to return to Brentford, having spent time at the club before he joined Arsenal.

“When I was two, I can remember a moment where I was in a park with my dad and his friend and they put a ball at my feet and I’ve loved it ever since,” said Domeiro.

“I was at Brentford previously and from there I got scouted by Arsenal. I moved there from pre-academy to U16s and then unfortunately I didn’t get my scholar.

“My dad always told me that one day he could see me coming back here and obviously we’ve made it happen.”

Domeiro has enjoyed a strong campaign to date, starting 19 games and tallying five goals and three assists at the time of writing.

While the season has provided its ups and downs, moments such as a winning goal against Bournemouth away from home have proven Domeiro’s quality and the fight within the young Bees’ squad.

“It’s been different than U16s and U15s, going up to U18s is a big change. It’s a lot more intense, [has] different teams [and] it’s a good opportunity to showcase my ability,” he said.

“I can take a lot from other players looking up to the first team being around them, I can get good insight on what they have and what I could implement in my game.

“The game’s obviously faster now, bigger, stronger opponents. It’s a good challenge for me personally, it develops me to becoming a better player.”

Looking ahead at the remainder of the season, Domeiro has set himself personal goals, while also eyeing silverware with his team-mates.

“There’s always room for improvement," he said.

“As a team, I feel like we can win one of these cups, either the U18s or U17s PDL Cup. I feel like we have a strong team, everyone is coming back from injury, so we’re in a good place right now.

“The team has good chemistry right now, we’re in a good place and I feel like from January onwards we can take it to the league.”

The young Bees are fresh from a 1-0 win over Swansea City U18s last time out in the Professional Development League and will now turn their attention to Bournemouth in league action at Wheatsheaf Park this Saturday with a 12pm kick-off.

Tickets are available here.