Andre Grey: Passing with purpose, faith and relationship with Saunders | OneFootball

Andre Grey didn’t start a league game for Brentford B until December last season.

This year, despite an injury setback in pre-season, he already has a brace and 12 appearances under his belt for Sam Saunders’ side.

When speaking to Grey at the Robert Rowan Performance Centre, you find a level-headed, eloquent and self-proclaimed "chilled" 19-year-old midfielder.

Beyond the calm surface lies a meticulous hard worker who has had to battle tooth and nail to earn his place with the Bees.

Grey joined the west Londoners as part of the first group of Under-18s since the re-instalment of the academy. After impressing during his scholarship, he went on to earn a promotion to the B team.

He credits his progress to perseverance and a strong relationship with head coach Saunders.

"You just have to keep training at your best," he explains.

"During that tough period last year I was thinking, ‘When am I going to get my chance?'

"I could have said, ‘I don’t want to be here’, but I just put my head down and ever since my first game I have felt more comfortable in the team. I was confident and the players were more confident in me when I started getting more minutes.

"Saunds is a top coach and a top guy as well. He’s honest and I like that a lot; if I’m not starting, he would tell me. He's always giving me tips and pointers and he's always on me to be at my best every day.

"He's always on my case in a good way. We get on well and it's shown on the pitch; he’s got faith in me, and I trust him to tell me the truth."

Grey is, by his own description, a "laid-back" person, which he believes gives him an edge in handling the highs and lows of football.

"I think that correlates to me on the pitch. I don't really let a lot of things get to my head," he says.

"Alex Davis [Human Performance Coach] has helped all the boys with that a lot with things like breathwork. It’s about keeping cool and relaxed so we can be at our best."

The 19-year-old's adaptability means he’s played at full-back, centre-back and in midfield already this season.

"I personally prefer playing midfield, but I don't really mind," Grey continues.

"When we played against QPR and Luton, I played full-back and basically rolled in as a midfielder. I'm happy to play there if it helps the team and helps my development."

Grey recently impressed in a 4-0 win against west London rivals QPR at the Gtech, alongside six first-team players who featured in the starting XI.

"You can learn a lot from them because you've got players like Paris [Maghoma] and Myles [Peart-Harris] that have a lot of Football League appearances. They help to drive the standards," he explains.

"They are really good at the little details. People say, 'a simple pass', but every pass has a purpose.

"You have to punch passes in, play it to the right foot, all those little details.

"A slack pass can lead to a goal against us or can stop us from scoring. It’s so important."

Grey also replaced Vitaly Janelt off the bench against Wigan, coming on to score two goals.

"It was good to watch him play as a left-sided midfielder as well. You could see the leadership and the way he talks and communicates," he describes.

"Saunds has asked me to be more communicative and more confident talking on the pitch.

"Vitaly’s presence around the training ground when I’ve trained with the first team; he's always talkative and helpful."

Now a regular starter in the side, Grey thanks his faith for his progress on and off the pitch.

"I grew up in a Christian home and went to church every Sunday, but now I can't really go as much because of training and games," he explains.

"I have a Bible that I read, and I use an app as well on my phone. There’s always a psalm of the day and it explains it so you can get closer to God.

"Every matchday, I listen to gospel music to get myself in the mood. It’s just something that helps me; knowing that you've got higher power to keep going is something that helps me to push forward.

"God says when the time is right, he'll make it happen. That’s something that I keep to myself, that when the time is right, it will happen. You have to keep showing up and keep striving to be better."