Josh Clarke has signed a second new contract inside eight months, extending his stay at Griffin Park until 2020. The 22-year-old signed a two-year contract before the start of the season but has now signed a new deal to stay for an extra two years. The speedy player, who has featured for The Bees in attacking midfield and at right back, put pen to paper on the new contract this morning, Friday 10 February, ahead of travelling to Brentford’s Sky Bet Championship game away to Preston North End.

Josh has been with The Bees since 2011 and is now one of the Club’s longest serving players. He was given a scholarship after being spotted playing what was effectively park football and turned professional in 2013. Josh made his league debut in April 2014, having previously played in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and Capital One Cup.

He played 11 Sky Bet Championship games for Brentford last season, making 12 appearances in all competitions, and a further ten during a loan spell at Barnet early in the campaign, scoring three goals, his first in professional football. He has also had loans at League Two Dagenham and Redbridge and Stevenage during his time with The Bees and non-league sides Maidenhead United, Carshalton Athletic and Braintree Town.

Josh has been a regular in the Brentford match day squad this season, failing to feature on only four occasions in all competitions. He has played 20 Championship games, 13 of them from the start, and scored his first two goals for The Bees – against Reading at Griffin Park and Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road. Josh has featured 22 times for Brentford this term in all competitions and reached 37 appearances for the Club.

Dean Smith, Brentford FC Head Coach, said: "Josh has deserved the extension to his current contract as he has proved this season that he is an important member of the squad, featuring as both a right back and a wide player. He has continued to develop a greater understanding of many aspects of the game and is willing to put both the time and effort that is required to be successful in his career. I am looking forward to continuing to help him develop as a player.

Phil Giles, Brentford FC Co-Director of Football, added: "The contract that Josh signed last summer still had 17 months remaining to run. However, we felt it was important to keep Josh as an important part of the squad for a much longer period as he has shown that he can be versatile and fill several roles in the team at a high level. This continues the process of building a squad that we feel can compete in the long term, and I'm pleased that Josh is going to be a part of that."

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