By their own admission, if you looked at Andre Grey and Reggie Rose within the Brentford B squad, you may not notice the tight bond they share.

In reality, their shared journey dates back to their formative years at Crystal Palace Academy, with the two beginning their football development in south London.

It was there that Grey, a silky midfielder, and Rose, a composed goalkeeper, met and began to grow as young players.

While Rose was playing for the Under-9s, Grey joined as an U8, the two sharing the pitch countless times, both in England and abroad on tours as Grey played up an age group.

When the end of the 2019/20 season came around, the duo were released from Palace and on the hunt for their next opportunity.

Kinetic Foundation came calling, the two linking back up following some time spent apart searching for where their football career would take them next.

“I went to Kinetic the year of U16s. When I joined Reg would have been a first-year scholar,” explained Grey.

“Our FA Youth Cup team was stacked with good players, we had Errol Mundle-Smith who’s made his debut for Norwich City and Rafiq Lamptey who is now at Millwall, so we had a decent team.”

The two helped Kinetic, who represented non-league side Corinthian-Casuals in the competition, make the first-round proper before eventually losing to Gillingham.

Come February 2023, Rose signed with Brentford. That summer, Grey joined him as he signed with the U18s for the second year of his scholarship.

The two recently put pen to paper on new deals with the club.

“We’ve spoken about our journeys a couple of times and just how mad it is that four years ago we were playing in the FA Youth Cup and now we’re at Brentford, it’s pretty surreal sometimes,” said Rose.

The bond they share has assisted the pair in their time in west London, as they battled through not receiving consistent minutes to now becoming staples of the B team line-up.

Across the 2024/25 season, in his first year as a professional, Grey struggled to break into the team on a permanent basis. Rose remembers the game where it all changed.

“We had a few conversations, I just said to him, ‘Bide your time’,” explained Rose.

“I remember the game, Bristol City away. We played Derby County on the Friday in the Premier League Cup and Andre wasn’t in the squad.

“On the Monday afternoon, we played Bristol City and Andre played. I think he’s probably missed a handful of games since then.

“I know Saunds [Sam Saunders] and Burkey [assistant coach Chris Burke] see him as the first name on the team sheet now, so it’s credit it to him, he’s worked hard to get in that position. Andre’s got such a big ceiling, he’s got a real chance.”

For Grey it was about taking his chance when it came.

“Buck your head down, it’s one of those, once you get the opportunity, because it will come, you’ve just got to take it,” he said.

“We had Neil [MacFarlane] and Saunds then. Before the game they just said, ‘First start, this is what you wanted, take it’, and I took it.”

Now regulars for the B team, the pair share a bond on the pitch. Off the pitch, the connection from their days at Palace remains strong.

“I always say this about Reg, if you’re looking on the outside, you wouldn’t think that out of the people in the group that Reg and I would get on… because our personalities are so different,” said Grey.

“But Reg and I have been friends for ages, we get each other very well.

“When my dad passed, Reggie was around me, because he passed during the FA Youth Cup, so he was one of the people that knew about it and he knows me very well.”

When asked how they would each describe each other in one word, Grey and Rose both said, 'Trustworthy', a trait so important on and off the pitch.

“On the pitch I’m going to say two things, composed and loud. As a person, I’d say trustworthy,” explained Grey.

“Andre as a player, I’d say reliable. As a person, trustworthy and he’s just a good lad, you know what you get with Andre,” added Rose.

The Bees are next in action on Sunday as they welcome Everton U21s to Wheatsheaf Park in the Premier League 2 (1pm kick-off BST). Tickets are available here.