Brentford’s Under-18s have had a positive start to their Merit League campaign having claimed three wins and two draws so far.

Following the completion of the South East Youth Alliance League fixture schedule, the league has since split into two with Brentford joining teams from their league and the South West Youth Alliance section in Merit League Two.

So far the side have beaten Forest Green Rovers, Southend United and Newport County whilst they played out an entertaining 3-3 draw with Cheltenham Town and drew 2-2 with Northampton Town recently. Last weekend they beat Newport County 4-3 at Bedfont Sports Club setting themselves up perfectly for a trip to MK Dons on Wednesday 5 April.

Our Under-18 side have close links with the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust with a number of the players within the group forming part of the Trust’s education programmes. As the season has progressed the side have been able to add a selection of new players who have joined the club as scholars and train regularly with our B team whilst featuring within the Under-18 fixture programme.

Remy Lee-Bennison in action for the Under-18s against West Ham

The team took time to find their feet in the Youth Alliance League with an opening day defeat to Cambridge but in recent months they have been able to build some momentum as they collected 22 points from the Youth Alliance league, before the Merit League campaign began in early March.

Eddie Keen has been in charge of the Under-18 side this season. Alongside his work with the Community Sports Trust he has led the team in the FA Youth Cup against Aston Villa whilst he has guided the young group to find some real rhythm and consistency of results in recent months.

Reflecting on the season so far, Eddie feels it’s been a gradual process. He said: “The resilience and the togetherness that the group has shown coming through what was a tough start for us has been brilliant.

“Everyone has shown that they are willing to put the effort in to continue to improve and recently this has really paid off and our results show that. We have a good group and it’s great that the club are investing in new talent who have joined us in recent weeks. These lads have made a real difference since coming in.

“The players who are part of the Trust have put a shift in for us and I couldn’t be prouder of them and their attitude to work with the new arrivals and welcome them into the group.”

On the players who have been added to the group this season in Omaru King, Reggie Rose, Chanse Headman and Remy-Lee Bennison, Keen believes they all have made an impact on the group which has also helped the development of the rest of the squad.

Headman has been a key feature for the Under-18s since his arrival

He continued: “I’ve been delighted with the new lads; we have faced some tough opposition recently and adding their quality to the team has been a real bonus. With the new players training with Brentford B on a daily basis, then training and playing matches for us, I think it gives the rest of the lads in the team individuals to look up to.”

Our younger B team players have also been able to gain minutes with the Under-18 side in recent weeks as they continue to battle for regular game time with Neil MacFarlane’s B team. The likes of Byron Wilson, Marley Tavaziva, Beaux Booth, Isaac Holland and Tony Yogane have all benefited from minutes with the side at various times over the course of the campaign maintaining their match sharpness, and Eddie is pleased to welcome those players who need to build minutes which shows the ever-closer relationship growing between the Under-18 group and the B team.

“To have this calibre of player in and around our team is great for the other lads and their development,” said Keen.

“Most notably, Byron, Isaac and Tony all featured for us in our FA Youth Cup game against Aston Villa Under-18s and Marley has played in goal for us in recent weeks and been great as well. We’re always pleased to welcome these talented players into the fold.”

Adam Mlynarczyk, Zack McAllister, Taheen Bentebbal and Leo Sery have all remained pivotal to the Under-18s side alongside the new arrivals and have been with the team since the beginning of the season.

Mlynarczyk has been consistent in goal and has stepped in several times when either Tavaziva or Rose have been unavailable.

McAllister’s story is an inspiring one as the centre-back was playing for the Trust’s fourth team just last season but has since developed into a vital member of Keen’s new Under-18 academy side. Captain of the side, Bentebbbal, leads from the front has been a key player in setting an example on and off the pitch. Top scorer, Sery, has had a brilliant season so far with the striker scoring 15 goals in the Youth Alliance league and continues to impress as he leads the line for the Under-18s in Merit League 2.

Over the past few weeks the Under-18s have been able to benefit from tests against Category One opponents having made trips to Crystal Palace and West Ham United in friendly fixtures. Despite coming out with a couple of defeats, Eddie believes it’s important for the young players to gain exposure to some of the best talent in the country at youth level for the current crop of Under-18s.

“It’s a really important opportunity for the team,” said Keen. “We have had some tough games this season in the Youth Alliance League and the Merit League but playing against Palace and West Ham shows the players there is another level.

Keen is pleased with the start the team have made in Merit League 2

“The style of football both Palace and West Ham play is different to what we are used to coming up against, but I was pleased with how we performed in both games and I’m sure the players benefitted a lot from the experience.”

Full focus will now be on the remainder of the campaign in the Merit League and the Under-18s head coach is excited ahead of the challenge for the young group in the coming weeks.

He explained: “We are coming up against some strong sides in the Merit League, but I believe with the quality and experience we have within this team now, we can do well.

“It’s Academy football so the most important thing is to see that each and every player is developing at the correct pace and the work is being put in.”

Our Under-19 side are also having a successful campaign this season as they currently sit second in the National League U19 Alliance Division C.

Grabbing 39 goals in just 13 league games so far, the Under-19s team have displayed a number of superb performances this season. The Under-19s’ best period this campaign saw them go nine games unbeaten with a run that stretched from October 2022 to February of this year.

Similar to the Under-18s, the team are also closely linked with the Trust where the players are also given a range of educational opportunities. The side play their fixtures on Wednesdays with their home venue being Gunnersbury Park Sports Hub. Alongside the Under-18s group they too have the chance to benefit from analysis sessions at the Robert Rowan Performance Centre to continue their development and learning on the pitch.

The team’s assistant coach Ben Lampert gave a review of the Under 19s season so far and also speaks on his inspiring personal journey.