Reflecting on a busy first seven months at the Robert Rowan Performance Centre with Brentford Under-18s, assistant coach Jon-Paul Pittman says the club’s growth has been “incredible”.

The 2023/24 campaign is the first that the U18s have spent full-time at the training ground since the academy was re-opened for the 2023/23 season.

It's a season that has so far seen great improvement in the group as a team and individuals.

Pittman said with a new group of staff coming together, led by head coach Lydia Bedford, as well as a new group of players, there has been challenges, but challenges that the group wants to face.

“Really enjoyable, we've got a fantastic set of staff supporting the boys, so coming to work at Brentford every day is a real privilege,” said Pittman.

“We’re seeing changes happen all the time not only with the facilities but recruitment of more staff and more players.

"The growth of the club is incredible. Obviously that comes with lots of challenges, but they are challenges that you want to face when you’re in such a dynamic industry.”

Heavily focused on the development of the players, results are not a priority of the coaching staff. Results have, however, consistently improved with every game the team plays, something that hasn’t shocked Pittman and the staff.

“I suppose the transfer from what you work on every day in training and all the analysis that we do and the meetings and the one-to-ones we have, when you see that come out in a good performance on the Saturday, it’s a great feeling,” said Pittman.

“I’m not shocked by it either, because once the familiarity with our principles and the common language that is shared throughout the club from the first team all the way through, once people get a handle on that, then naturally things start to take traction.”

This was evident in the young Bees’ FA Youth Cup loss to Tottenham Hotspur Under-18s. With the score 2-1 following an Iwan Morgan goal after 65 minutes, all the momentum was with Brentford. It took a second yellow card to end it, with Spurs eventually winning 5-1 with Brentford down to 10 players.

“It was a great occasion and for these guys, probably the biggest game they’ve played in their careers,” Pittman continued.

“As a group of staff, Lydia especially tried to make sure that we stayed level and no one got too carried away with the fact that it was at our new stadium under the lights with paying fans.

“We tried to keep the guys level and it’s just another game where we’re going to follow the processes that we always follow. For 65 minutes it was a fantastic performance, but their quality just shone through at the end.

“The thing that probably won’t be on too many peoples’ radar is we bounced back by having a fantastic performance against Gillingham. We should’ve got a little bit more in terms of a result from that game, but the performance was outstanding.

“We don’t have a big eye or focus on the result anyway, but the players do and we can’t hide that. I think they’re starting to trust that if they do the things that we want to do as a club, then they’ll start to get that reward eventually.”

The B team has consistently produced first-team players since its inception and now the U18s have provided a pathway for young players to join the club in the junior ranks before going on to senior football.

Ollie Shield and Remy Bennison have already enjoyed a taste of that, earning valuable B-team minutes against Hayes and Yeading last month.

“What a place to come in and try and forge a career as a young player. You’ve got the B team there, it’s the next step, it’s not too big a jump,” said Pittman.

“We have that opportunity for them, but there’s no divine right to go straight from the U18s to the B team to the first team and then on to represent your country.

“If you can skip steps, great, you’re obviously doing really well, but on the flip side you have to work really hard and hone your talent.”

A youth team member at Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest during his junior career and an experienced senior player, Pittman comes to Brentford with a wealth of development experience having already coached in the junior ranks at Exeter City and Forest Green Rovers.

He said his experience in being a scholar, as Brentford’s U18s are right now, helps him to relate to the players and what they are going through on a day-to-day basis.

“I think what helps me personally is that I’ve sat where they sit. I’ve juggled doing the college work while training, while doing the gym, while trying to build some cohesion with your colleagues and understand what your coaches' demands are,” said Pittman.

“I’ve done it as well, so I can level with them and I can understand some of the frustrations that they maybe have sometimes.”

Looking ahead to a busy 2024, Pittman highlighted what Brentford fans can expect to see from the Under-18s.

“I think from a growing academy, from that perspective the fans are going to want to see some players start to come through. A year from now, is that too soon? Who knows, we’ll see what happens with the group,” said Pittman.

“They’re certainly making good progress and starting to head in that direction. What you’ll most definitely see is a hard-working group of staff that are really dedicated to growing and developing the club.”