Brentford FC’s Youth Alliance teams have adapted well to life in the Football Conference Youth Alliance in their first season according to Head Coach Dan Wright.

This summer saw the creation of two new Brentford teams, The Brentford Bees and The Brentford Griffin, after a partnership between the club’s Category Two Academy and West Thames College.

Around 40 boys enrolled in the programme in the summer to train with Brentford’s Academy three times a week, study for a BTEC with the college and play competitive fixtures in the Football Conference Youth Alliance on Wednesday’s.

After a slow start to the season results wise, as players got used to playing the Brentford way, results have been on the up in recent matches.

The Brentford Griffins are seventh in the London and South East Division with three wins, three draws and three defeats from nine games.

The Griffins are in the same league as teams from Luton Town, Fulham, Watford and Boreham Wood.

They have the best defence in the division having conceded just eight goals in nine matches and, until a 1-0 defeat to Watford in their last game before Christmas, had kept four clean sheets in five matches.

The Brentford Bees currently sit seventh in the Home Counties and South West Division only three points off third place.

The Bees opponents include two teams from Southampton’s Academy and a QPR Trust team as well as established Youth Team’s from Oxford United and Oxford City.

The Bees won their last three games before Christmas scoring 12 goals in the process and only lost 2-0 last time out to runaway league leaders Southampton (Bath) who beat them 9-1 earlier in the season.

Dan, who joined the Academy in the summer to lead the Youth Alliance project, the early signs bode well for the future.

The former Eastleigh coach admits it took the boys time to get to grips with Brentford’s style of play but now that they have the rewards are coming.

“It is really good,” said Dan.

“We have managed to create a really positive environment.

“Individually and collectively the boys have moved on a lot.

“The top boys have played some really good football at times and had some really good results.

“The other group came in at a lower level but they have now progressed to being competitive and they have kicked on and got some good results.”

All the information regarding the Football Conference Youth Alliance can be found