Brentford Development Squad midfield player James Ferry has joined Welling United on loan. The 18-year-old signed the loan agreement today, Monday 28 January, and will link up with Welling tomorrow. He will be available for their Vanarama National League match against FC Halifax Town on Saturday, 30 January, and will stay with the Kent side until 1 March.

This is James’ second loan spell of the season. He spent a month with Sky Bet League Two Wycombe Wanderers without making an appearance. The energetic central midfield player signed his first professional contract last summer after completing a two-year scholarship. He then extended it, signing a second one-year deal to keep him at Brentford until June 2017, late in 2015.

James has captained Brentford’s Development Squad for most of the season, helping them climb in to the upper reaches of the Under-21 Professional Development League and narrowly fail to reach the Quarter Finals of the Under-21 Premier League Cup. He has played 16 times in the league and cup this term, scoring once. If James makes his debut for Welling – who are fighting relegation in the National League – it will be his first experience of competitive men’s football.