Naeem Giscombe: Goalscoring form, Gary McDermott's style and finding his voice | OneFootball

Brentford Under-18s forward Naeem Giscombe has hit the ground running in the 2025/26 season, recording 12 goal contributions in just seven league games.

Entering the second year of his scholarship with the Bees, Giscombe puts his excellent opening to the campaign down to the hard work he did over the summer.

"I worked on everything - my sprint speed, making sure my technique is sharp, ball mastery," he explained.

"I’ve been doing a lot over the summer. I worked hard to push on.

"Of course I’m feeling very confident, I feel like what I’ve been producing on the pitch has made it a very good start to the season and now it’s about making sure I can maintain that consistency.

"Being in my second year now, I’m more settled. I know the building and all the staff. Even the first years that have come in, I’m very comfortable with them.

"I’m starting to use my voice more - that was something I always needed to improve on.

"Right now, I feel like I’m talking a lot more on the pitch, giving pointers to the first years and even my fellow second years.

"It’s all about teamwork, they’re helping me whilst I’m helping them. I felt like I needed to be that leader on and off the pitch and I’m enjoying that challenge."

It is not just the league that Giscombe has been shining in though; he reflected on the comeback win in the U18s PDL Cup in which he scored and assisted in the second half.

"The Mansfield game was my favourite moment so far. We were 1-0 down in the cup and I think I was pivotal in turning that game around - I was really happy,” beamed the young forward.

"With the squad that we have, I feel like we can go very far in all the competitions that we are in.

"I’m happy that we’ve gelled early and we’re performing very well, scoring loads of goals and keeping clean sheets.

"All the attackers, not just me, are chipping in and performing well, so the whole team has brought their game up to another level.

"Me and Domeiro Bobb-Semple have a chemistry off the pitch and that translates to on it. We’ve known each other for over a year now and it was just a matter of time for that relationship to thrive in front of goal."

Gary McDermott’s Under-18s side have made a fantastic start to the season after a difficult first few fixtures.

After losing their second game 7-3 away to Fleetwood, they have won five of their last eight matches in all competitions.

"It’s been good learning Gary and Kieran Driscoll’s [assistant coach] philosophies and how they want us to play," said Giscombe.

"I’ve enjoyed it so far and so have the team and that’s been showing in our performances.

"My time at Brentford has been great, my first year was up and down on the pitch more than anything as I was showing glimpses of my potential."

He added: "The coaches and even my fellow team-mates helped me to stay calm and relaxed, so for that I’m very grateful. I feel more comfortable than ever before.

"I need to just keep my head down and keep working hard no matter what. From training to at home, I need to keep working on bits because there’s always something that you can improve on."