Ethan Laidlaw, who signed with Brentford B from Hibernian in July 2023, will play in his first game back in Scotland on Monday as Brentford B travels to Glasgow to play Rangers B in a friendly match (1.30pm kick-off).
Laidlaw, who joined Brentford B in July 2023 after moving up through the ranks at Hibernian, will be playing in his debut game in Scotland.
“I was raised in Scotland, participated in professional youth leagues from the age of nine or ten until I left at the age of eighteen, and I made several appearances for Rangers,” Laidlaw remarked.
“You enjoy playing those games because you’re up against it when you’re at the kind of club I was at. These are the kinds of games that you should play.
Laidlaw, who joined Brentford B in July 2023 after moving up through the ranks at Hibernian, will be playing in his debut game in Scotland.
“We know it’ll be a tough game, Rangers will obviously be a really, really good side, so we’ve just got to keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
While the clash is a friendly, Laidlaw believes the young Bees can expect an attacking Rangers side come Monday afternoon.
“From what I know and from what I’ve seen, they’re a team that wants to play on the front foot. They’ll try win the game, they’re not going to sit back and respect us as a Premier League team because in their own rights they’re a pretty big club as well,” he continued.
As we’ve played several really difficult games this season, we know that this one will be really difficult.
Eight months have passed since Laidlaw, a 19-year-old, inked a two-year contract with Brentford B, which includes a one-year club option.
As an 18-year-old, he acknowledges that there have been challenging times getting used to life in west London, but his coaches and teammates—especially those who are also from Scotland—have been a huge help.
He acknowledged that there had been a period of settling in. It’s my first time traveling outside of Scotland. I had assumed that everything would feel the same as it did back home, but that is definitely not the case.
Being here helped with that since playing football is what I want to do every day and it’s not like any other profession.
People like Vinnie [Vincent Angelini], Neil, and Steven Pressley are here, and it kind of gives you that comfort right immediately.
So far this season, the forward has performed well for MacFarlane’s team. He has made a few starts and has been included in match squads on a regular basis.
He claimed that a concussion suffered during the preseason stopped his growth, but he believes as though he has played well recently.
“I worked really hard in the off-season on my own to make sure I could get started right away wherever I went, and that’s exactly what happened,” Laidlaw remarked.
“We took our first trip to Spain. I played pretty well against Real Betis, but I had a concussion that somewhat stopped me from moving forward.
It is a little annoying that there weren’t any football games for over two weeks. Everything seemed to be declining a little bit, including mood, fitness, and performance.
“In the past few months, I have undoubtedly improved; I believe that since my trip to France, I have performed quite well.
“I just need to play well when I get the chance because there are a lot of boys who could play, especially in my position.”
The forward clarified that the bar set for Brentford players is high, which he appreciates, given the team’s competitive roster and the few individuals prepared to fill Laidlaw’s role.
“You get to play the next game if you perform well and receive a reward. If you perform poorly, there will be repercussions.
It’s totally different from what I’m used to, having to produce every day in training and every game, and being forced out of my comfort zone.
“Obviously, if I could have started every game, I would have, but there is a lot of rotation in this games program.
“It’s evident that there are boys here who are a little older than me and have been here for a while, but if you talk to the staff, they tell you what you need to work on and how the games program operates.
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