Walking back into Jersey Road last June to begin a new challenge, lead Under-18 physiotherapist Louis Hutton says the training ground was “night and day” compared to his time as a Brentford player.

The 29-year-old plied his trade at Brentford in what was then the U21s for 18 months after signing in February 2014, witnessing the Bees’ first team earn promotion to the Championship at the end of the 2013/14 season and their play-off campaign in the second tier the following season.

His time as a player ended at the end of the 2014/15 season, but he is now one of the members of staff enjoying the new and improved facilities at the Robert Rowan Performance Centre.

Hutton returned to the club in a full-time capacity last June having spent time with Brentford Community Sports Trust in a part-time capacity last season.

Reflecting on his time at Brentford as a player, Hutton can remember the club’s ambition to one day play in the Premier League.

“Even when I was here, they had these big ambitions to be in the Premier League. Seeing it for the first time, it feels a bit like a different club in terms of facilities,” he begins.

“A lot of the staff are still quite similar, but it’s completely different - it’s hard to imagine what it used to be now.”

While west London has become home for the former England U17s international, Hutton’s journey started in Shipley, where he grew up alongside older brothers Charlie and Will.

His parents, Bernadette and Steve, allowed their boys to play a range of sports growing up, but football was always Hutton’s main love.

“Obviously growing up with two brothers, you’re playing games all the time, a lot of competition,” Hutton recalls.

“We always played loads of sport, my mum and dad were massively into it. We were quite lucky, we got to play everything.

“We started playing football when we were tiny. We had a lovely garden, so we played sport from a really young age.

“I always loved football. We used to go to watch Bradford City as kids and then obviously my brothers already played so then I’d play in my brother’s age group when I first started.”

Shipley Juniors was where Hutton’s football journey began, before joining Leeds United Academy with his brothers.

At age 14 he moved to Manchester City, where he stayed for five years.

“What we did was stay at the school in Leeds, I’d do Monday at school, get the train over to Manchester Monday night, train Tuesday and Wednesday, train back, school Thursday and Friday, get the train back over to Manchester Friday night, play a match on Saturday,” he says.

“Then my dad would pick me up, he’d come and watch and then take us home for the weekend. It was tiring, but it was great.”

Brentford was next, however once his time at the Bees was up, Hutton started to think about what the next phase of his life would be.

He attended Guilford College for a year while playing semi-pro football, before embarking on a year off, travelling to America for four months to coach football.

After returning to and working in Manchester, Louis began his physiotherapy studies, eventually taking on roles with the NHS and a private practice in London following his graduation.

A reunion with west London followed, Hutton joining U18s head coach Lydia Bedford and the rest of her staff in helping to re-build the club’s academy programme.

“I'm really enjoying it. I think we’ve got a really good team building,” says Hutton.

“I think there’s a lot of challenges and it’s going to take a few years until we’re going to be able to compete with these top clubs, but I think we’ve set some good foundations in each department to build from here.

“There’s still a lot more to do, but so far, so good.”