Brentford Under-18s: Spain tour rewind | OneFootball

Following a busy South East Youth Alliance League season, Brentford Under-18s recently enjoyed the chance to test themselves against the academies of Atletico Madrid and Getafe.

Embarking on a week-long tour in Spain, the young Bees set up camp at La Liga Centre in Madrid, facing Atletico Madrid Under-18s at their training centre and Getafe on Brentford’s home soil for the week.

Speaking post-tour, U18s head coach Lydia Bedford said the trip was a great opportunity for her side.

“This is an unbelievable facility, it’s been great to be in such a contained facility with the ability to train literally just a two-minute walk from the inside,” she said.

“The boys had plenty of space to socialise and spend time together, and we had two fantastic games against great opposition.

“It gives them a bit of life at this point of the season - we’ve just finished the first half of the league season and we’re about to start our next run of fixtures.

“To be able to come away at this point is really good for them; they get 24 hours together for five days and you can see the relationships that build from that and the enjoyment for them.”

Speaking on the two games, Bedford said her side were met with tough competition, but welcomed the challenge of playing against a different style of football.

“[The Atletico Madrid] game, the tempo at which the first 10 minutes started was probably a new experience for the boys,” she said.

“Even if I compare that to the FA Cup youth game against Tottenham, it felt quicker. Atletico Madrid are just a very well-oiled team in terms of the rotations and the passing combinations.

“When you look at experiences like this, it’s about the boys taking learning from one game and being able to apply it to the next.

“Ultimately, to test themselves against a different style of football is what they want in their career.”

With the second half of the season to come in the EFL Youth Alliance Merit League 2, starting this weekend against Forest Green Rovers, Bedford hopes the young Bees will be ready to attack a new league.

“For us, it’s about what we take from the first half of the season in terms of learning and what we now challenge them with,” she stated.

“We would love the results to match some of the performances that we’ve started to build and that’s the challenge for them, how do you take strong performances and make sure that you can turn them into a result?

“I hope, going into the second half of the season, they almost see it as a bit of a fresh opportunity to attack a different league.”