Brentford FC Academy Director Ose Aibangee said dealing with the occasion was key to winning FA Youth Cup games.
Brentford’s Under-18 side play Bristol City in an FA Youth Cup Third Round tonight, Wednesday December 18.
The match will be played at Ashton Gate and will kick off at 7pm.
Ose spoke to Bees Player about the match during a lengthy interview last week.
He said the target at the start of the season was the Third Round but Brentford wanted to go further.
Bristol City beat The Bees in an Under-18 Professional Development League match at the start of last month and Ose said it would be a difficult match.
But he said if Brentford dealt with the occasion, they could win the match.
“We have targets in various areas in the Academy,” said Ose.
“One of the targets we have set, or has been set for us, is to reach the Third Round of the FA Youth Cup.
“We have done that.
“I am hoping, as we all are, that we can go beyond that and reach the Fourth Round.
“It won’t be easy.
“We have played Bristol City already this year and they beat us.
“It will be difficult but it is more about the occasion.
“The winner will be the team that deals with the occasion better.
“The FA Youth Cup is different.
“You play on a Wednesday night, under floodlights, for a real consequence, in front of a crowd, in a stadium and it is about who deals with that better in my experience.”
Ose said FA Youth Cup games were a step up from Under-18 Professional Development League fixtures, which were usually played on Saturday afternoons with hardly anyone watching.
He said the experience would help the players prepare for life as a First Team footballer.
And he said Brentford prepared for FA Youth Cup ties like First Team games with pre-match meals and hotel stays if needed.
“It is a step up,” said Ose.
“The majority of Under-18 football is on a Saturday afternoon in front of ten or 12 people.
“Playing in that environment where you have to win, in front of crowds, makes a difference.
“The experiences the boys gain help them in senior football.
“We try and replicate what the First Team do for these matches.
“They prepare in a hotel, have a pre-match meal and do what the First Team does.
“It contributes to the boys’ development and everything we do is to prepare the boys for First Team football.”
Brentford have lost one of their last five Under-18 Professional Development League Two games and are seventh in the table, out of ten, with 15 points from 14 games.
The Bees are ahead of Premier League sides Swansea City and Crystal Palace and only three points behind Bristol City, who are fifth.
Ose explained that Brentford had a young team this season, as many of those playing regularly were first year scholars, in the Under-17 age group.
He said he was looking forward to who they went next season, in the second year of their two-year scholarship as Under-18 players.
“It has been a good season,” said Ose.
“And it is a very young team.
“A lot of the teams we play at Under-18 level are packed with second year scholars.
“We are the opposite; our team is mainly first year scholars.
“We will be even stronger next year, we will be older.
“The fact we are playing well and competing this year is excellent for us.
“I am looking at that team as an Under-18 team next year.
“We will have individuals performing at the right level and a better, stronger team that will do well in the league.”
Ose Aibangee’s mid-season interview can be seen on Bees Player here, here and here.