Aaron Greene thinks he has joined a ‘brilliant’ set-up at Brentford FC and can’t wait to get going at Jersey Road.
The 18-year-old signed a one-year Development Squad deal last week, joining from Vanarama South side Chelmsford City.
Aaron spent a period on trial at The Bees last season while they were in Sky Bet League One and, following promotion in April, now joins The Bees as a Championship club.
The former Chelmsford winger said he is confident he can make the step up and match the progress of The Bees First-Team.
“You only have to look around and it is a lovely club,” said Aaron.
“It is so different to where I have been.
“It is a professional set-up and the pitch is lovely.
“The set-up here is brilliant and the training ground is lovely.
“There are loads of pitches and the boys are all brilliant.
“When I came here last year they were just about to get promoted and now they have been promoted.
“Hopefully I can make that step up with the club to The Championship.
“Now that I have signed a Development Squad contract my next aim is to get up to the First Team but there is a long way to go.
“It would be massive for me to play for a Championship club and it is massive for Brentford itself.”
Before Aaron can make plans for First-Team football he knows he must cement a place in The Bees’ Development Squad.
On top of the jump from Conference South level to Championship level Aaron also has to deal with a move from left-wing to left-back.
The former Harlow Town and Heybridge Swifts player said he would never have considered playing as left-back this time last year.
However he believes that the brand of attacking football that The Bees play suits his game perfectly and will bring the best out of him.
“I have a lot of energy in my game and I have a good engine,” said Aaron.
“I try and get forward as much as possible.
"I was a left-winger before I came here but now they have moved to left-back and I try to get forward and get involved in play.
“If you’d have told me last year that I would have been a left-back I wouldn’t have been sure.
“At Brentford the left-backs play like wingers so you are forever on the ball.
“You are always getting touches on the ball and it is a great way to play.
“I haven’t played at left-back that long so I need to establish myself as a left-back and get used to the position.
“Once I get used to the position and the club hopefully I can push towards the First-Team.”
Aaron originally came on trial to Brentford at the end of the 2013/14 season, playing and scoring in the 2-0 win over Cardiff City at Griffin Park in March.
Following that trial he was invited back to Jersey Road for the start of pre-season and featured in all of The Bees’ Development Squad friendlies.
He admitted that after his trial in March, and as every week passed in pre-season, he began to get nervous that there might not be anything for him at Griffin Park.
“I was playing for Chelmsford City at the end of last season and Shaun O’Connor, who has now left the club, came down to watch me play and he sent someone down to watch me play,” said Aaron.
“I came in at the end of last season and played a game at Griffin Park against Cardiff City.
“I did ok and they asked me to come back in pre-season.
“I have been here for three weeks now training and playing games and finally last week they offered me a deal.
“It is a bit nervy coming back in because when they didn’t take me last year I didn’t know if they wanted me or if they liked me.
“I came back in thinking do they want me do they not.
“Originally I was coming in for the week and then they extended it so I still didn’t know.”
Brentford’s Development Squad’s fixture list was announced last week and it sees The Bees take on Premier League sides QPR, Swansea City and Crystal Palace.
Also in the fixture list are games against former European trophy winners Ipswich Town, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest.
Aaron said those teams and names are a far cry from who he was playing at Chelmsford and he can’t wait to get on the pitch to pit himself against some big names in English football.
“The Under-21s fixture list is unbelievable,” said Aaron.
“There is so much to look forward to.
“The first thing I did when I signed was print the fixtures off.
“I was looking at them thinking that we have got some big games coming up, playing against some good players.
“I am really looking forward to it.”