Brentford B technical lead Allan Steele will leave the club this month to become Forest Green Rovers’ director of football.

Steele has been a driving force for Brentford’s second squad. As technical lead, a position he has held since June 2019, his responsibilities have included the development of the games programme as well as recruitment, loans, player welfare, safeguarding and education.

“Allan has done a fantastic job in all of the years that I have been working at Brentford, and even before that,” said director of football Phil Giles.

“He has a great work ethic and always wants to go the extra mile. He followed on from Rob Rowan organising many of the important tasks around the B team, both as a coach and B team technical lead.

“I have encouraged him to pursue his career down the off-pitch route, and so to see him get a massive opportunity to progress his career further is a great credit to Allan.

“It’s always great to see our staff developing and move onwards and upwards, and we wish him the very best of luck.”

Reflecting on his departure, Steele said: “I’m so grateful for my experiences at Brentford and will look back on my time here with great fondness.

“I initially joined as part of the academy set-up and that gave me such a broad knowledge base, working alongside some fantastic players, coaches and staff.

“Being part of the B team from its beginning in 2016 has been a huge privilege. This project starts from the top and there has been a clear strategy from day one.

“Under the tutelage of Flemming Pedersen, Kevin O’Connor, Lars Friis and Neil MacFarlane, 25 B-team players have made their first-team debuts, and countless others have forged careers elsewhere.

“Marcus Forss scoring the winning goal in the Championship Play-Off semi-final, and Chris Mepham featuring for Wales at Euro 2020, were real highlights and the result of everyone creating a fantastic learning environment.

“There is a clear pathway between the two squads, and this has been made possible by the willingness of our first-team head coaches to trust in our young players.

He continued: “When I first started working with the B team, my main mentor and motivator was Robert Rowan.

“Rob’s expectations were far greater than anything I’ve ever seen. We’re still doing things day in, day out, that he set up - it’s incredible. Rob’s passing provided me with even more motivation to make the B team a success. I’ve always wanted to achieve for him and that’s something I’ll carry with me.

“We’ve seen Ryan Trevitt and Yehor Yarmolyuk make their first-team debuts this season, and I’m sure the project will continue to go from strength to strength.

"Opening an academy at the beginning of this season extended the pathway for our young players and led to the recruitment of many talented staff and the opportunity to lay the foundations for a world-class talent development centre. The club is in a fantastic place.

“Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Phil Giles for his trust and guidance, and to the players and staff who have made this near 10-year period so successful and enjoyable.”