Iwan Morgan: Taking His Chance | OneFootball

By his own admission, Iwan Morgan “couldn’t really get a rhythm in front of goal” in the first half of the 2024/25 season.

Coming into his second campaign in west London, the Brentford B forward was fresh off an equal team-best nine goals last year and eyeing more.

After starting the new season as a centre-forward, he moved to the left-wing, with Ashley Hay taking on the mantle up front.

When the January transfer window rolled around, Hay joined Cheltenham Town on loan for the remainder of the season and Kyreece Lisbie took his place as the team's number nine.

While Morgan's goals and assists numbers weren’t as high as he would have liked, he was playing a vital role in the starting line-up and the team flourished throughout this period, an unbeaten run across all competitions starting in October and running until the Atlantic Cup in February.

“I think the start of the season was a bit tough for me, I couldn’t really get a rhythm in front of goal and couldn’t really get going,” said Morgan.

“Then I went through a phase where Ash was doing really well up front, so it was nice to have a bit of healthy competition.

“I think from Ipswich, where I managed to get my first goal of the season, sort of led me to where I am now.”

In the final days of the winter transfer window, Lisbie joined Colchester United on a permanent deal.

Morgan was then moved back to his familiar position at centre-forward, where he flourished.

Following a first-half hat-trick against Ipswich in the Under-21 Professional Development League (PDL) in mid-February, Morgan scored 13 times in the final 15 games of the season across all competitions, taking his season tally to 25 goals and four assists.

“It was a great feeling. For a striker, when you get that hat-trick it’s a massive relief,” explained Morgan.

“For me, it doesn’t bother me who scores or who gets the assists, as long as the team’s winning. It was a great feeling to be in that run that we had, knowing that I’m playing my part as well as all the other players.”

Morgan’s good form saw him rewarded with a spot on Thomas Frank’s bench for Brentford’s Premier League clashes with Leicester City and Everton.

Reflecting on being a part of a first-team matchday squad, the 19-year-old said he tried to learn from those around him to help influence his preparations going forward.

“It’s unbelievable really," he continued. "Leicester was a big one for me because when I was younger, I used to watch Jamie Vardy play when he first came into the Premier League.

“How he went from being a non-league player coming all the way through, I think that was a very special moment.

"You learn from other players, what they do, how they prep, how they do certain things and try and add it to what you can do to improve on your matchday.”

While Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa have helped educate Morgan through their actions around the training ground, another first-team player stood out in his ability to educate the forward.

“Wissa and Bryan are two quality players who you always learn a lot from. Two very different players, I think for me I look more towards Wissa because I feel like we play a similar style,” explained Morgan.

“You learn a lot from how they train, what they do before games and how they prepare for games.

“One player who helps me a lot is [Fábio] Carvalho, I always say ‘when you’re in this situation what are you trying to do?’"

Following a successful season where the young Bees made three finals (Premier League Cup, PDL and London Senior Cup), Morgan believes there is more that he can add to his game to continue his development.

The forward has already shown what he is capable of in big games, scoring in Brentford's 2-1 PDL play-off semi-final win over Sheffield United and the 3-2 PDL national final victory against Bournemouth.

“Individually, I'll just keep doing what I’m doing, I think as a 19-year-old I couldn’t ask for anything different," said Morgan.

"I'm playing well and managed to basically make my dream come true as a young kid and be involved in a Premier League game.

“Physically, I feel like I’m in the best condition, mentally I feel like I’m in the best condition.

"Playing wise, you can always do more, there’s always more I can do, but I feel like Brentford are starting to see the Iwan that they got when I was at my former club."