Barnsley FC pulled a blinder with £1m+ signing - they made profit on him as well | OneFootball

Barnsley signed Ethan Pinnock from Forest Green Rovers in the summer of 2017 in what proved to be an excellent piece of business.

Barnsley signed Ethan Pinnock from Forest Green Rovers in the summer of 2017 after the defender helped the Green Army to promotion from the National League, in what would prove to be an inspired piece of business from the Tykes.

Ethan Pinnock's rise through the English football league proves that hard work and determination are fundamental to success.

Having spent time in the academy of Millwall as a youth player, the defender joined Dulwich Hamlet in 2010, and would spend the next six years with the London club before finally moving up the divisions in 2016, joining Forest Green Rovers in the National League.

Pinnock's stay in Gloucestershire was short-lived, but it didn't lack success, with the Jamaican international helping the club to achieve promotion to the EFL for the first time in the club's history.

He'd be on the move once again, this time to South Yorkshire to join Barnsley, who were in the Championship at the time, for a fee believed to be in the region of £1 million.

Barnsley signed Ethan Pinnock for a fee of around £1 million from Forest Green Rovers

Upon his move up north, former Forest Green boss Mark Cooper said: "We were the perfect club for Ethan to develop his talent. And I know he'll be keeping an eye on our progress in League Two. I believe he is destined for the Premier League."

Pinnock initially struggled to break into the first team at Oakwell in his first season in the second tier. However, his perseverance shone through, and with Barnsley having been relegated to League One, Pinnock nailed down a place in the Tykes' back line.

He'd play every minute of Barnsley's 2019/20 League One campaign as the club earned promotion immediately back to the Championship, but unfortunately for the Tykes, his performances had not gone under the radar.

With Barnsley achieving promotion, the club would have loved to have kept him, but in came Brentford with a £3 million offer for Pinnock, and the defender was on the move once more, back to his native London.

The 22-time capped Jamaican international's time at Oakwell was short, but memorable. He made 67 appearances for the South Yorkshire club in total, scoring three times from defence and winning the club's Player of the Year award.

Ethan Pinnock has gone on to become a solid Premier League defender with Brentford

Since his switch to West London, Pinnock has continued his trajectory of going from strength to strength.

Just as he did with Barnsley in League One, Pinnock played a key role in Brentford's promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 2021, but his journey wasn't over there.

The defender retained his place at the heart of defence for the Bees in the top flight, and has gone on to make over 110 appearances to date in the Premier League for the club.

Although he has seen his number of minutes decrease over the past couple of seasons, with Nathan Collins, Sepp van den Berg and Kristoffer Ajer providing competition, Pinnock's place in the squad is beyond question, and still remains a key member of the team, now aged 32.

Having spent a huge portion of his career in Non-League, earning his chance in the EFL with Barnsley, and now a certified Premier League player, Pinnock's story to the top is few and far between.

It is with Brentford where Pinnock has shone brightest, but it was with Barnsley where he announced himself to the EFL.