Most footballers decide if they want to get into coaching when they’re coming towards the end of their playing days.

Brentford’s head of coaching Justin Cochrane was slightly different; he knew he wanted to become a coach before his professional career had even started, after he and a friend put an advert in the local paper and started a team from scratch.

“I was actually a coach before I was a player. I started coaching properly at 17, when I started a local team,” Cochrane begins.

“I was working with a local grassroots team that I created and that was the foundation in terms of me learning how to coach, learning how to interact, and learning how to help players get better at football.

“I was running that team when I was still in the academy set-up and the reserves as a player.

“I always knew that once football had ended, I had a passion for coaching and a passion for helping young people to achieve their full potential.

“Even while I was playing and I got signed as a professional, I was always aware that, if it didn't work out or if I didn’t maintain a career until I was 35, I could fall back onto coaching because it's the next best thing to playing.”

As a player, Cochrane started his career with Queens Park Rangers as a trainee, before a season at Non-League Hayes helped him get a move to second-tier side Crewe Alexandra, where he worked with now-England assistant manager Steve Holland, despite an approach from Chelsea (who had just been taken over by Roman Abramovich at the time) to join their pre-season in 2003.

After three years at Crewe, spells at Gillingham, Rotherham United, Yeovil Town and Millwall followed, before Cochrane dropped back into Non-League.

His playing career ended with two spells at Boreham Wood, which came before and after a short period playing for USL Pro side Antigua Barracuda, who were based in Antigua.

And Cochrane says he really values his time as a semi-professional footballer, where he believes he learnt things he wouldn’t have done if he was playing higher up the footballing ladder.

“As a player at Non-League level, I learnt about the importance of taking hold of your own career,” he says.

“The coach I had at Hayes at the time had a very fluid team - we played 3-5-2, with a sweeper system, and he allowed everyone to express themselves within the structure.

“We were very hard-working, we played passing football, and the coach at that time was really helpful in terms of helping me develop as a player and helping me mature as a young person.

“I played in different positions and it was a really good period for me to develop.

“That was my first experience of men's football and I saw the importance of having a team that could play off each other and we were quite fluid.

“The second time around, when I came back to Non-League, I was 27. I was really starting my coaching journey and it was a good moment for me because what I was teaching the young players, I could almost apply to myself.

"So, I started playing a little bit differently, I saw the game a little bit differently, I had an exposure to coaching, and that really helped me.”

Cochrane then earnt the chance to take his first steps into coaching at the top level when he took over Tottenham Hotspur’s under-11s in 2009, after an interview and a good word from Kieran McKenna (now Ipswich Town manager).

That eventually led to roles with the U12s, U14s, U16s and then the U23s in north London.

He explains: “I was playing in the National League and it was part time - it was training on Tuesday and Thursday and playing games on Saturday - so I had time on my hands to pursue coaching after I started my UEFA B coaching award.

“I then managed to get an interview at Tottenham and I joined as U11s head coach, which was a really good upbringing for me and a good introduction to a high-level academy with good people who helped me develop as a coach.”

Before delving into his time as a youth coach at Spurs, Manchester United and England - which is already an impressive CV at the age of 40 - it seemed valuable to ask Cochrane what is important when coaching younger age groups, compared to the first-team players he primarily works with at Brentford.

He pauses to think, before explaining: “A good youth coach is one who understands the game, understands the age group of the players that he's working with, and knows how to construct and create sessions that are fun and enjoyable so the players can learn from them.

“It falls into two parts: the things that you know and the things that you can communicate. So, as a young coach working at grassroots or academy level, it's really important to understand the game and understand how you can help a player get better at the game.

“The best way to do that is knowing how to connect with them, communicate with them, and explain and show the young people how to get better.”

He adds: “A lot of the skills I used as a youth coach are transferable because, ultimately, coaching is helping someone get from A to B, whether it's an 11-year-old in an academy system or a 25-year-old player playing in the Premier League - you’re just trying to help them improve certain areas of their game. As a coach, your job is to help them improve and help the team improve.

“With the sessions that you do, you might tweak it slightly for the adults, of course, but they’re similar principles and similar coaching points.

“The session design will be similar but the coaching points will be more detailed for the senior players. It’s then about how you communicate - that’s the really key bit - how you get your message across and how you connect with the individual to help them.

“Brentford have got players from all over the world, so you need to be able to connect with them and speak to them in a way that they understand. You also need to be clear and concise with how you communicate.

“You need them to believe you, you need them to trust you, and you need them to understand where you're coming from.

“If you're unable to connect with them, then it becomes a lot more difficult. I think, like anything, in any walk of life, the ability to communicate and the ability to connect is important.

"You’ve got to have a genuine interest in the person you're coaching and then, from those conversations, you can see how you can help them.

“I always think the first bit is trying to connect - that's really important.”

As well as referring to the connections he aims to build with players, another word that frequently crops up during our chat is ‘challenges’ - something Cochrane constantly looks for.

This was evident when he moved on following nine years at Tottenham, after being offered the chance to work with England in 2018. During his time with the FA, he worked as head coach of the U15s, U16s and U17s sides.

It was a big responsibility as he was entrusted with developing the country’s top talents. But, when asked if he felt any pressure working for the national team, he quickly responds: “No, I didn't. I felt ready for it when I looked at the job description and I applied for it.

“I felt I'd tick most of the boxes in terms of experience of working with younger players, I had an A licence, I'd experienced playing, and I think 20-plus players that came from Tottenham had gone into England youth set-ups.

“I was ready for that next challenge. It was difficult leaving Tottenham because I enjoyed it, it was very close to home, and it was a good place to work.

“But the opportunity to work for England with some of the best young talents, and with some of the coaches at the time, who were fantastic - I felt it was an opportunity for me to learn again and experience some new things.

“It was a great opportunity for me to progress and try something different, and it really helped me develop as a coach and a person.”

After praise for the work he did with the Young Lions, which included England boss Gareth Southgate tipping Cochrane to become a ‘top coach’, another opportunity soon arose, as Manchester United came calling in 2021, looking for a head of player development and coaching for their academy.

Cochrane explains: “Once again, it was a new challenge! I missed the grass, I missed training every day on the pitch.

“With the FA you work in the international breaks, you do work in clubs, you do coach education, but I wanted to get back into the day-to-day stuff.

“Manchester United were very interested and they’re one of the biggest clubs in the world. I wanted that new challenge, and I thought it would be a good experience for my family.

“I already knew Kieran McKenna, who was the first-team coach, and I would be working very close with the first team and the younger players, so there was another opportunity for me to learn, develop and grow as a person.”

Despite only spending a season in Manchester, Cochrane had the opportunity to win some silverware with the United youngsters, as they reached the FA Youth Cup final, which was played in front of record crowd at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson, Bryan Robson and Michael Carrick joined the likes of David De Gea, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes at the Theatre of Dreams for the showpiece as the Red Devils ran out as 3-1 winners.

“We won the FA Youth Cup for the first time in 11 years with a good group of young players and I had a good time there, a really good time,” Cochrane recalls.

“We had 67,000 people at Old Trafford for a youth game - the people of Manchester really got behind us, it’s a fantastic football club. They really supported the young players that day.

“They have got the history of producing young players, it's in the thread that runs through the club, and I felt that as a developer at Manchester United in the youth phase.

“The Youth Cup win was fantastic and it created lots of memories for the supporters, but mostly for the players - the players will never forget that. Whatever happens in their careers, they’ll never forget that they won an FA Youth Cup at Old Trafford in front of 67,000.”

Alejandro Garnacho, who has since gone on to make 19 appearances for the United first team, was the difference maker that day, as he scored a penalty to put his side 2-1 ahead (which saw him replicate idol Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘siu’ celebration), before netting his second to finish the game in stoppage-time.

And, while Cochrane celebrates how well the youngster has done since moving to England from Atletico Madrid in 2020, he was keen to highlight the rest of the squad, who were heralded as the ‘Class of 22’ by the United fans in the Stretford End before the final.

"[Garnacho] is one that has hit the headlines but I worked with all the players closely on their strengths, helping them get better, and then helping to guide them on their pathways,” says Cochrane.

“Me and the other coaches had a very individual approach to the players, we tried to help each player get better at what they're good at but also to make sure they worked within the team framework, because there's no point being really good and not being able to work within the team.”

Garnacho isn’t the only player Cochrane has helped to make the step up to first-team football. Far from it, in fact.

He worked with the likes of Japhet Tanganga, Oliver Skipp and Dane Scarlett at Tottenham, who have all gone on to play Premier League football, as well as Noni Madueke and Marcus Edwards, who are now making their mark in Europe with PSV and Sporting Lisbon, respectively.

And the list of young players he helped develop during his time with England reads even longer.

When asked if he still feels a sense of pride when seeing a player he has worked with featuring on the big stage, Cochrane responds: “Definitely. When you help players, you devote time to them, they commit to the work that you ask them to do, and you work with them, you always track their careers - there are players that I've been tracking for years who I helped.

“You always track them but, at the same time, when Manchester United came to the Gtech, I wanted to beat them and win that game. You just want to win.

“But in terms of the people, you want them to do well and excel - but not when they play us, obviously!”

That 4-0 win against his former club is one of a number of games Cochrane has been a part of since joining Brentford in the summer, including a recent 2-2 draw with another of his ex-employers, Tottenham, at the Gtech Community Stadium.

He reveals that he had other offers over the summer before joining the Bees, but decided that a move to west London would be the best option for him after speaking with Thomas Frank and director of football Phil Giles.

"I had the opportunity to work with Thomas, the opportunity to work in the Premier League with a progressive club, and I just wanted to learn again. It's another new challenge,” he concludes.

“I saw it as more learning, working with good people, working in a good environment.

“I spent a short time working with the AFC Wimbledon first team in League One, but I wanted to test myself in the Premier League.

“There were some manager offers from League One clubs and some assistant coach roles at other Premier League clubs.

"But, in the end, it was an easy decision. It wasn’t easy to leave Manchester United, but I wanted to go from working with youth players to working with the first team.

“I did 14 years with youth players at a good level, so to go to Brentford in a first-team environment, I felt like that was the next step for me as a coach.

“Once I had my mind set on Brentford, I'd met Thomas a few times and I'd met Phil, I just felt like it was the right fit; there were some good people to continue learning from, and it's been a brilliant six months so far.”

Here’s to many more.