Youth Team striker Bradley Clayton believes that Brentford’s Youth Team go into every match believing that they can win such is the confidence they are playing with.
The Bees have won six of their last seven matches as they close in on a maiden Under-18 Professional Development League Two South title.
The latest of those six wins came on Saturday when Millwall were beaten 3-1 at Calmont Road to open up a ten point gap at the top of the table.
Goals from Bradley Clayton and Herson Rodrigues Alves had Brentford 2-0 ahead before the half-hour.
Ebere Eze pulled one back just before half-time but Clayton made the game safe late on with a close range finish.
Speaking to Bees Player after the match Bradley said that The Bees always thought they were going to win once they took the lead.
The 17-year-old grabbed another two goals in the process, taking him to 14 in 18 Under-18 matches this season, and he added that it was good to get back on the score-sheet after missing out last week.
“We didn’t play as well as we have been playing in recent weeks but we deserved the points overall,” said Bradley.
“The game against Crystal Palace last week was the best that I have seen us play.
“We have set a standard now that we can go and win even when we are not at our best.
“Last season we might have capitulated when Millwall got their goal but this year it doesn’t feel like we are going to lose a game even if we go behind.
“I didn’t score last week so it was good to get the goals.
“I am still chasing the hat-trick.
“The early goals calmed our nerves.
“You know when you play against Millwall that they are going to be tough and come at you.
“The two goals settled us down and then after that we played some good stuff in the first-half.
“It took us a while to get into our rhythm but once we did we were doing quick combinations around the box like we usually are.
“The third goal gave us that extra cushion and allowed us to just kill the game.”
Millwall set up with a 3-5-2 formation which Bradley admits was something that Jon De Souza’s side hadn’t come up against much this season.
Bradley felt that The Lions set-up posed Brentford a number of challenges but also gave them opportunities that they don’t get when playing against other formations.
The striker felt that Brentford’s quality shone through in the end and they were then able to pick up the three points.
“We play a pressing game which means we need to start defending from the front,” said Bradley.
“The way that we are set-up means that everybody knows their jobs and their systems.
“We are hard to break to down.
“It was a new challenge today because we haven’t come up against many teams who play 3-5-2.
“We had to adapt the way that we pressed at half-time.
“Their system left a lot of space in the channels and we could get in down the sides.
“With them having three central defenders they tried to cramp our style.
“With the quality that we have we managed to impose ourselves.”
Next up for the Youth Team is a home match against Cardiff City at Jersey Road next Saturday morning.
A late Zain Westbrooke goal settled matters down in South Wales back in late October as The Bees emerged with a 2-1 victory.
The Bluebirds currently sit in third place in the league but anything less than a win means they can’t overhaul the 11 point gap between themselves and The Bees.
Having put in strong dominant performances against title rivals Crystal Palace, Charlton Athletic and Ipswich Town in recent weeks Bradley said that the visit of Cardiff holds no fear for The Bees.
“Next Saturday is probably our toughest game for the rest of the season,” said Bradley.
“We will go into that game and play with a lot of confidence.
“We are confident that we can win.
“We don’t fear anyone in this league especially given how we played away at Crystal Palace and how we played away at Charlton Athletic.”
As well as scoring 14 goals in 18 appearances for the Youth Team this season Bradley has three goals in seven starts for Lee Carsley’s Under-21.
The diminutive striker feels he has adapted well to the different demands of playing Under-21s football and wants to continue adapting to progress his career.
“Starting for the Under-21s shows that I am going in the right direction,” said Bradley.
“I played last week and it was very tough and that showed me the level that I have to get to.
“I had the test of coming up against bigger players when I started my Youth Team career and I have adapted my game to cope with that.
“Now it is about adapting it further to get to the next step.”
The next step for Bradley would be to earn a first professional contract this summer to become a full-time member of Lee Carsley’s Under-21s.
Bradley is one of around a dozen players waiting on a contract decision this summer and he feels that the Youth Team’s strong showing in the league has done nothing but positive things for his and his teammates’ chances.
“The coaches told us at the start of the season that as a team you look better if you are at the top,” said Bradley.
“If you are unsure as a coach you would be more willing to give a player a contract if the team is doing well.
“The way that we are performing helps everyone massively.
“We just want to carry on as we are.
“We are playing well and dominating other teams.
“We are showing what good players we are so we want to keep on going.”