When you sit down to talk with any of the current B Team squad, there is a high chance that you will come away from that conversation impressed.

Over the course of the 2022/23 season, we’ve been able to delve deep into the players’ mentality and what makes them tick.

Arguably that step from the Under-21 age group into a first team is one of the hardest in the game. Can a player go from impressing at youth level to really impact a senior environment? How do players cope with that expectation? The fear that what if they can’t quite make that step? Edon Pruti is a prime example of not taking no for an answer and he displays an attitude wiser than his 20 years of age and that’s all down to his journey so far.

Born and raised in Ladbroke Grove to a mother from Kosovo and a father from Bosnia, the young central defender already has some fantastic experiences behind him. He’s had a taste of youth international football with Albania through his family ties and he has big aspirations for the rest of his career. It’s a journey which began on the concrete surfaces at local parks with his friends in and around where he grew up. Impressing in Sunday League, he was bound for Stevenage before continuing his development in Lancashire with Burnley before a learning curve in non-league. He’s now a regular defender with Brentford B and has been a stellar addition to the group so far.

“I grew up playing with my mates who lived nearby and that’s how it all started. From playing Sunday league I was scouted and went on trial with Stevenage, which is when it all kicked on,” explained Edon after a freezing cold session on the pitches at Jersey Road. “I haven’t always been a defender, I used to play up top believe it or not! We were a man short one time when I was playing for Stevenage and they needed a centre back. I think I was put there because I was tall! I played there and enjoyed it. I liked being able to see the whole game and reading it. I liked starting off the play, heading the ball and I really grew to enjoy defending, making blocks and tackles. I see centre half as my best position on the pitch.”

After impressing with Stevenage, Edon’s next step saw him move away from his family and friends in London as he headed north to continue his development. He went through his scholarship with Burnley before departing the club having not turned professional at Turf Moor.

Discussing his time with the Clarets, Edon has some happy memories where he learned a great deal. He explained: “I was at Burnley from the age of 15. I did my scholarship with them in what was my first full-time opportunity in football. I think that’s what really helped me to develop; being able to train every day, be coached every day, have gym sessions every day and watching what I was eating really helped.

“It took me out of London to move up north which made sure that my life completely revolved around football. There were no other distractions that you might get from living in London because I was living in Lancashire. It’s picturesque but there isn’t really too much to do in comparison to London. I enjoyed my living situation there and it allowed me to have full focus on my football. At the start it was pretty tough, but I grew to really love it. It was the first time I’d been away from my family. I missed the company of my brother, and of course my parents too. I enjoyed being independent up there.

“I was released by Burnley after having an extension to my scholar during the pandemic. As soon as the extension ran out, I was told that they weren’t going to offer me anything further. It was a setback and it knocked me down a few pegs. I think I’ve done well to come back from a setback like that. A lot of players call it a day and move into other ventures but I truly believed that I could make something out of football. It’s taken me on a bit of a journey.”

The journey that Edon alludes to is one of persistence and determination to get to a level that he believes he can play at. With a hard work ethic instilled in him by his family from a young age, the youngster wasn’t going to let a rejection define him, but only make him stronger.

Discussing his family influence and how that has helped him, Edon paid tribute to those closest to him. He continued: “They (family) stand by certain values which have helped me to become the person that I am. It’s about hard work and commitment. I’ve learned that from both of my parents, being committed to something will help you go far. My mum is committed to her work, she works every day as an architect, and I always look up to her. I see how hard she works, and if I do that in my football career then I can go far. She’s from Kosovo, I’d love to play for them internationally both at youth level and men’s level. It would make my family so proud; I still have family over there and for them to see me play for Kosovo would be a dream. Hopefully one day I can do that.”

So, having returned to the capital from Burnley the defender was faced with a choice. Go in and trial with multiple clubs or perhaps take a slightly more unpopular route amongst his peers and try his luck in non-league football. The latter has proved a masterstroke thus far. He earned lots of game time playing for Hanwell Town, who now compete in the Southern League Premier Division South, and that preceded a trial with the young Bees in the early stages of the 2021/22 season where he first became acquainted with the Club.

“After leaving Burnley I went to Hanwell and I was just looking to play football week in, week out,” said Edon as he recalls his time playing at the Powerday Stadium. “I spoke to the manager there and started to train and they offered me the opportunity to play for them. It was a great place for me. I then got the opportunity to come into Brentford on trial initially. I came in, felt I did well, but nothing came of it at the end but what I learned from my initial stint at Brentford helped me go back to Hanwell to progress more, which then earned me a move to Slough. I’ve come back here now and earned a permanent deal.

“Hanwell is relatively local for me, and I was given the chance to come in and speak to the staff there. I really enjoyed it, they said to me that to develop I need to play lots of games. Perhaps stop the trialling, go and play in front of a crowd for three points every week. I don’t think they were wrong at all. I think some people can be too proud and they don’t realise that the level is pretty good, and I don’t think a lot of people would be able to handle that level at a young age. I am proud that I’ve played in non-league. Some players will leave academies and think that they’re too good for that level. I would say to them that if they are too good for that level, and if they don’t have any other opportunities at that time, then why not go and prove that you are too good for it? I initially felt that I was better than the level at Hanwell, which was step four at the time, but if I’m too good then let me prove it. I played and I did well, worked hard, trained hard, I didn’t have any entitlement that I should be elsewhere. The managers there helped me keep my feet on the floor. I remember, I was dropped for a game because I wasn’t playing very well. That was a real low, but in football you are going to get a lot of setbacks and it’s how you bounce back. When I was dropped by Hanwell, I felt that I came back a lot better and if you play with a point to prove then that’s what gets the best out of you. They told me that they thought I was better than this level but it’s about actually showing it. I did, and then got the move to Slough.

So, Slough was the next step for a young Edon who was growing in maturity with every game playing against men every week. He learned how to cope physically, as well as even more about how to adapt to a men’s dressing room where you’re fighting for points every week. The level up was another learning curve as he arrived in National League South.

Detailing his time with the club, Edon said he developed even further working at Arbour Park as the level and expectations increased. He said: “I went to Slough in February this year. It’s National League South, I went in there with the intention to climb the football ladder but play every week. At Slough I was playing every week until the end of the season. I started off there this season before coming to Brentford. The most noticeable thing for me going to Slough was the step up in terms of the grounds we were going to. There are some big clubs in that division who attracted a lot of fans. It was a natural progression in everything, it was quicker, there was more detail in everything which is what happens as you climb the football ladder.”

His good work with Slough earned him the opportunity to link up with Neil MacFarlane’s side once again at Jersey Road and, having benefited from his experiences in non-league over the past year or so, this time around he got the news that he’d hoped for.

“I was happy to find out that I was going to be back in full-time football. That’s the main thing for me,” smiled Edon. “I certainly didn’t think that this was a time where I could relax because at the end of the day, I don’t think that I’ve achieved much. There is still a lot of work to do, I want to be playing league football. The only time you can relax in this game is at the end of your career. You can’t ever think that you can press cruise control. When I was told that I’d be offered the chance to sign for Brentford, yes, I was very happy, and I shared a great moment with my parents that evening. But the following day it was business as usual, get in to work and get better every day. That’s so important, some people can get distracted and think ‘wow, I’m at Brentford, this is amazing and now I can relax.’ For me, it’s about keeping that trajectory going and keep on climbing.

“Everything that I’ve learned at Hanwell and Slough can be applied to every passage of football here. The way I learned how to defend at those clubs are applicable to how, hopefully, I can go on to defend at higher levels of the game. The principles of defending stay the same no matter where you go in the game. You’ve got to defend your box, win your headers and be aggressive.

“Every other week the match prep would be about the opposition having a big striker so I couldn’t let him pin me, so I learned a lot. I began to really enjoy playing against a really big striker because I feel like I know how to play against them now. In non-league football you will come up against players who are much bigger, they’re men, opposed to youth football where it may be more focused on technical ability rather than strength or aggression. It’s a men’s dressing room which will always be different to Under-21s football. These people have jobs, kids, partners, and have different problems to that of a 20-year-old. Even though a lot of my teammates at those clubs had very different lives to me, we still got on very well and I still keep in contact with a lot of my teammates at those clubs.

“Everybody has setbacks, but for me having to go and play certain levels, going to have to go and get a job and mix that with football. I think it’s taught me to be resilient, and I know that in the future I know that I will have another one at some point. It could come through an injury; I could get released, but I know that I have the ability to bounce back and it’s important to not let your emotions got on top of you. I definitely take pride in my mentality; I think that’s what makes you a good player. A lot of people have technical ability but being able to have confidence and strength to go and show your ability, and that’s what can differentiate the good players from the even better players.”

Speaking with Edon ahead of the B Team’s Christmas break, it feels like a good opportunity to stop and reflect on the season so far. Moving into the winter months it’s been a relentless schedule with lots of games and opportunities to develop. They’ve had the Premier League Cup campaign to contend with as well as trips to Italy and the Netherlands which has really shown off the best of Brentford B’s fixture programme.

Reflecting on the season so far, Edon says there have been many positives but the youngster wants the group to maintain that focus to keep striving for better in 2023. “For me, it’s been positive. I feel that I’ve got better and stronger which is what I would have wanted out of this half of the season,” said the 20-year-old. “We’ve won a lot of games, so I can’t really complain. It’s now about the rest of the season, we have to keep going and make sure the second half of the campaign is as good as the first.

“I love playing alongside Tristan (Crama) and Nico (Jones.) When I sit in the middle of us as a back three, I think once we’re in our shape then it’s rare teams can break us down and I haven’t seen us get really dismantled as a defence. I’m so confident when those two players are next to me. Seeing them every day on the training pitch is brilliant because I get to work with, first and foremost good people, as well as great players.

“I enjoyed Aston Villa away; it was a highlight. They had a lot of the ball and a lot of questions were asked of us defensively and that’s where I felt I showed my communication skills, as well as my leadership and my ability to defend. We’ve had some great games, against PSV, Como, all these trips are great experiences for me which have helped me develop as a player. I feel this B Team programme is so different, you don’t get these sorts of matches anywhere. One week we’re playing in Italy, then away in the Netherlands, and we will look forward to more trips too. It’s amazing to be a part of this experience.”

Having spent time with Hanwell, Edon got the opportunity to play alongside B Team assistant coach Sam Saunders as he turned out at the Powerday Stadium for the non-league side. The youngster was delighted to play alongside someone of Sam’s playing experience and he feels that his relationship with our former midfielder, as well as B Team head coach Neil MacFarlane, who has been a consistent voice of advice as the youngster trained with the B Team prior to signing.

Discussing the coaches and the support mechanisms in place here at Brentford, Edon feels he is in a brilliant place to continue to raise his game. He continued: “When I first came in for a trial I immediately got on with Neil. We share common values and we both share an understanding of what a good defender should be. He’s always helped me out, even when I was playing for Hanwell and Slough he would always offer any advice which I hugely appreciated. Sam was my teammate at Hanwell, and it was good to see a side to him that maybe the other lads haven’t seen, but in a good way, because I’ve been able to share a pitch with him. The fact I have a good relationship with both of them only helps my progression.”

It’s set to be an exciting second half of the campaign for the young Bees as they have their sights set on more fantastic tests to build on their development. With the likes of Edon within the group, they have a player who will always seek to maintain the high standards and whose mentality is sure to serve the group well in the coming months.