New signing Scott Hogan believes that the ambition and aims of Brentford’s management staff made it an easy decision to join The Bees.
The 22-year-old striker completed his move from Rochdale AFC on Monday, signing a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
Scott scored 17 goals in 33 Sky Bet League Two games for The Dale last season as they secured promotion back to League One after two years in League Two.
Speaking to Bees Player after completing the formalities of his deal Scott said he was very excited to be at a club which was showing such ambition.
“It is really good and exciting to be here,” said Scott.
“The bid went in on Tuesday and I came down on Wednesday to meet everyone.
“They gave me time to go back home to speak to my family but having come down the decision was made.
“Where everyone sees this club in two years sold it to me.
“It is a massive project and everything around the place is brilliant.
“It was an easy decision even though I am moving home and moving down south.
“I am very excited.
“When I came down on Wednesday I spoke to Frank McParland, Mark Warburton and David Weir and it seems that the club is only going one way.
“My aim is to play in the Premier League and through speaking to people I can see that being here with Brentford.
“They are giving me the platform to do my thing and I see myself in the Premier League with Brentford in two years.”
Scott came through the ranks at Spotland but was released without making a First-Team appearance in May 2011.
He spent spells at Halifax and Hyde before returning to Rochdale in the summer of 2013.
The striker said that it took a lot of hard work over the past 18 months to get to the position that he is in now.
Scott added that is was a difficult decision to leave Rochdale after all the support and help that they had given him.
“I played non-league football as a younger lad and I was enjoying the time with my mates,” said Scott.
“I looked forward to spending time with my mates and I couldn’t commit to football and all of a sudden I can now.
“I have done everything I have wanted to do and I have worked hard and that gets you further than anything else in any walk of life.
“I realised what I want to do with my life and I work hard for it every day now.
“The harder you work for things the more success you get and I have worked so hard for things over the past 18 months.
“I have always thought I had ability but you have to work hard with it.
“It was a difficult decision to leave.
“I have lived up north all my life and they gave me my opportunity.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the manager Keith Hill and Chris Beech.
“What they did for me was out of this world and everyone thought it was the start of something special there with the group of lads that we had.
“We weren’t the richest club in the world by any stretch of the imagination but it was brilliant how we got together and did things.
“It was testament to our football last year that we got up playing football.
“It is a tough league and a lot of people say that you can’t play football in that league and get promoted but I like to think that we were the best footballing side in that league.
“It felt like it was a special environment so it was difficult to leave.
“Brentford is a few steps up from there and is even more exciting now.”
Scott admitted after the season that he had last year where he was shortlisted for the Sky Bet League Two Player of the Year award and named in the PFA League Two Team of the Year it was only natural he would be linked with other clubs.
The striker said that he tried not to think of any off the field issues, preferring to focus on his job of scoring goals.
He added that it was not in his plans to leave Rochdale unless an offer came in that was too good not to take.
“If someone has a good season they are linked with all sorts of clubs and I know there was a bit linked between me and other clubs but I don’t think of things like that,” said Scott.
“That isn’t a side of the game that I have to worry about.
“My job is to go out on the pitch and play.
“If something comes in and suits all parties then you have to consider it.
“I don’t think of things like that and my intention was to return in pre-season with Rochdale, have as good a pre-season as last year and really surprise a few people in League One.
“The team at Rochdale, for the level it is at, is very very good and everything about the place is brilliant so I never thought of leaving.
“That is not my side of things I only think about the pitch.”
Scott describes himself as a versatile player, saying he is comfortable playing in a number of positions.
He said he enjoys the challenge of taking people on and running at defenders and thinks he has a good all round game.
"I played all over the place at Rochdale last year; I played out wide, I played as a number 10, I played up front on my own, I played up front as part of a two and a three," said Scott.
"I am not the tallest but I think that I can get up well and have a good jump on me.
"I am quick and strong and like to think that I have good feet.
"I am not your typical big number nine but I am confident in my abilities to do things.
" I like to do things differently and I look to run with the ball and take people on as much as I can."
Scott's arrival has supplemented Brentford's already impressive attacking options.
With Moses Odubajo, Andre Gray and Alan Judge joining this summer Scott is the fourth attacking option to sign ahead of the new Sky Bet Championship season.
Adding Sam Saunders, Stuart Dallas, Charlie Adams and Josh Clarke to that list means there will be fierce competition for places in The Bees frontline.
For Scott that competition is only a good thing as it means that nobody can rest on their laurels at any stage.
"Competition for places in part and parcel of the game," said Scott.
"If you don’t have competition you tend to get a bit lazy in what you do.
"Without competition there is nobody kicking you up the bum to get going.
It is brilliant that there is competition because it drives everyone to do better and that competitive edge in training relates to your performance on the pitch.
"The competition and the way the team plays suits me to a tee I feel and the manager believes that as well.
"They have watched me extensively; four or five different people have come down on several occasions.
"They have done their research on me which is brilliant for me because they totally believe in me and know what I can do.
"It is a good fit on all parts and I believe that the way we play and the competition is only going to help."
Scott's first date to look forward to is August 9th and Brentford's opening Sky Bet Championship game against Charlton Athletic at Griffin Park.
With three weeks of pre-season left Scott thinks he and his new teammates are well on their way to being ready for that opening day test.
"Pre-season is engineered to that first game and getting a good result and a good start," said Scott.
"You can’t look beyond that first game until it comes really.
"It is a 46 game season but through watching the lads training session yesterday, which I watched, everybody seemed ready for it.
"There are three weeks to go and three games coming up for everybody so it will be interesting to see what happens but everyone is fixed on that date without a doubt."
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