Brentford midfielder Ryan Trevitt has discussed the setbacks he faced on the way to making it as a professional footballer, with the full interview available to read in the Leicester City issue of our match programme.
The 21-year-old had unsuccessful trials at Chelsea, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers before joining Brentford B, since establishing himself as a member of the first-team squad.
Trevitt made his Premier League debut against Tottenham in August and has also featured prominently in the Bees’ Carabao Cup run this term.
In the interview, he also details his influential loan spell at Exeter and how Brentford captain Christian Nørgaard helped him overcome injury, while Trevitt’s former coach Andy Maciel provides further insight into the man behind the player.
“I had trials when I was younger at Chelsea, but I can’t really remember too much about that,” said Trevitt.
“When I was 15, I was at Fulham and got to the year below a scholarship and they said I had to be in the top two players to get signed, so maybe it was a bad time to go on trial. I accepted that one pretty quickly.
“At QPR, I was 16 playing with the under-18s and did really well. I got asked questions about whether I’d need digs [accommodation] and other different things I’d need. So, I thought, ‘I’m getting signed here’.
“I then went in for a meeting with my dad all happy thinking that this is it, and it’s going to happen for me finally. They [then] told me that I wasn’t going to get signed. That was very difficult. I got in the car and broke down."
Having been turned down by three separate clubs, most teenagers would have surmised that they were not destined for a career in football.
“I never actually thought that," Trevitt quickly refutes.
“I definitely had a lot of self-belief. Within a day or two, I was back training with my coach.
“I was at Leatherhead Youth but it was mainly my coach Andy Maciel I was sticking with. My dad was always the manager as well so that was nice.”
Alongside the Trevitt interview, the match programme also includes a catch-up with former Bees defender Ívar Ingimarsson and a detailed look at opponents Leicester, as well as features on Brentford Women, Brentford B and Brentford Under-18s.
Costing just £3, the Leicester programme is available to buy around the ground on Saturday, or online atshop.brentfordfc.com.
ICYMI: Buzz Bee has been taken by the Beekeeper - but who's under the mask? It's your job, along with the Brentford squad, to follow the clues across the Bees' 2024/25 programme covers to try and find out.
On each programme cover, members of the squad will be following riddles across west London, which will eventually lead them to the club's mascot - and the identity of the Beekeeper - on the final day of the season.
Clues and hints - big and small - will be scattered across each programme cover for you, the supporters, to work out who has snatched Buzz.
And, if you do, you could be in with a chance of winning a shirt signed by the Brentford first-team squad. So make sure to buy a copy, keep your eyes peeled, and study every last corner of the cover!
Submit your answers on X with the hashtag #WhoTookBuzz, along with the name of your suspect. All correct answers will be put in a draw at the end of the campaign, with the winner securing the prize.
Programmes will be available inside and outside the ground - as well as from the Bees Merchandise Kiosk and the Bees Superstore - our sellers will be accepting contactless payments only.