In his second year as a scholar at Brentford, Josh Oladapo-Gamu has had an excellent start to the 2026/27 season.
A stalwart at the heart of the Under-18s defence, the young centre-back also made his Under-21s debut against Everton and came off the bench in the Jersey Mike’s Trophy against MK Dons.
“I was nervous before I came on, but I was definitely up for the challenge,” he remembered.
“Playing against a men's team in a professional tournament, it was a great experience and I'm grateful for the opportunity to showcase how I've taken on the coaching here.”
Despite a difficult result on the night, he was able to take learnings from playing against striker Aaron Collins, who has scored plenty of goals in the Football League.
“Testing myself against players who've done a lot in the EFL was tough, but it’s helped me to work out what I need to improve on,” he said.
“[Sam] Saunders told me to be confident as I was getting ready, but even before the game, he was telling me that I’ve played well, so I deserve to be here.
“The coaches have helped me a lot, my team-mates are very encouraging, and I've been grateful to play with the B team quite often recently, so it's been a good experience.”
Oladapo-Gamu has always had speed, an advantage for a modern centre-back, but has added a new tool to his belt with the Bees.
“I was actually a winger for my grassroots team but slowly dropped down the pitch as I got older,” he said, retelling an infamous history amongst defenders.
“I'd probably say I’m in the top five for fastest in the U18s. It's a good trait to have; when balls go in behind, I'm able to catch the attackers.
“At Brentford, my defensive and attacking heading has really improved. I'm able to get a good contact on the ball, good distance and accuracy as well.
“It's a part of my Individual Development Plan (IDP) and Jon-Paul Pittman [IDP coach] has really helped me on and off the pitch to develop my overall performance.”
Oladapo-Gamu, like many of the academy’s prospects, has had opportunities to get involved with first-team training, where he says that the Bees’ no.9 showed his class.
“I've done set-piece training and Igor Thiago was incredible in his aerial duels,” said the young centre-back.
“He gets up so well and it's something that I look to try and take on and add to my game.
“I've really started to enjoy attacking the ball here. I want to score more goals for the team from set-pieces - that would take me to another level.”
The young Bees have had a strong start to their inaugural season in the U18s Premier League, currently sitting eighth in the southern section.
“It being our first season in the league, we’re really pleased with the way we’ve gone about some of our performances.”
“This team can go far; I think we can finish in the top five, which would be a great achievement.
“Personally, I want to improve my aggression, getting out to players and using my body well.
“I study William Saliba’s games to try and improve - I love watching him because he's a dominant figure in the air, which is what I'm trying to work on, but he’s also got good pace, which I also have.”