After coming through the ranks at the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, Michael McSorley has gone from strength to strength and has now established himself as a key player for the Bees' Under-18s.

The youngster describes his time at the club so far as a “dream” and reflects on his footballing journey which led him to this point.

He said: “My career up to this point has gone full circle: I began playing football for Hanwell Town and I was actually scouted by Brentford to join their pre-academy programme.

“When I turned nine, I signed for the club but, unfortunately, the academy shut down, which led me back to grassroots football. I went on to train at a few developmental centres of different clubs around the London area, before joining the Brentford Community Sports Trust’s Post 16 Programme.”

It was for the Trust where McSorley impressed, with his performances earning the teenager a trial for Brentford’s U18 side, which reformed after the club reopened its academy in 2022.

McSorley speaks on his desire to rejoin the Brentford Academy and says the Trust provided him with a perfect platform to do so.

“It felt great to represent the club again with the Trust,” says McSorley, “I was only their for three months before being asked to come on trial at the Academy, so I’m grateful for the pathway that the Post 16 Programme offered.

“It was always a goal of mine to rejoin the club, so when I was asked to go on trial it was a huge moment for me - but I knew it was just the beginning and I needed to prove myself.”

Seizing his opportunity, McSorley made a remarkable impact for Lydia Bedford’s side, scoring twice from midfield on his first start in a 3-1 win over Sutton United.

The 17-year-old explained how he felt the quality around him helped him perform to a high level, in what was a successful trial period.

He continues: “I was really pleased with how I did when I came in on trial, I realised straight away just from the training sessions that there was a lot of good players in the group, and I think playing with them made me step up as well.

“I managed to score five in my first four games and played in a couple of different positions, so it was a good period individually.”

As the U18s worked through their Merit League 2 fixtures, the young forward continued to impress and bond with his teammates.

McSorley realised his dream when the club offered him an 18-month professional contract, rewarding all of his hard work during his trial period.

“It was really a dream come true and a great feeling for myself and my family,” said McSorley.

“When I was told the club wanted to offer me a professional contract I was just buzzing and couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“Signing day was amazing, I had a lot of family come to the training ground for my pictures and it was nice to see how proud everyone was.”

The young Bees enjoyed a stellar end to the season, displaying exceptional form by winning seven of their final eight matches.

McSorley was integral to the side’s success after signing for the club in February, taking his impressive form whilst on trial into the remaining matches of the season.

He said: “We played some great football in the last few months of the season, I wasn’t at the club for the start of the campaign, but I know it wasn’t going to plan in terms of results so I’m delighted we were able to turn it around.

“I’m happy that I was able to help the side when I came in and I can only thank the players and staff for welcoming me with open arms.”

During his first pre-season with the club, the young player featured in a couple of matches under the guidance of B team head coach Neil MacFarlane.

McSorley expresses his ambitions as he heads into his second season at Brentford, focusing on earning more opportunities with the B team and continuing to add to his already impressive goal tally.

“I had a good pre-season and have started the new campaign well with the U18s, scoring three goals in six games,” explains McSorley.

“I enjoyed working under Neil [MacFarlane] during pre-season and I learnt a lot from him, but my main focus at the moment is to continue to play well for the U18s.

“I’ve set myself the target of 25 league goals this season; we have a strong group of players and I’m sure they can help me achieve this.”