New Crawley Town keeper and Brentford loanee Ellery Balcombe: Competition only brings out the best in people

The young prospect has joined the club on a one-season loan from Premier League Brentford.

Speaking in his first interview with the Reds, Balcombe said: “I like the way the club’s moving forward.

“The owners are aggressive in the way they want to build and bring the club up. I just want to get as many games as possible and clean sheets under my belt so we can hopefully get promoted.”

At 22-years-old, Balcombe has joined the Reds having already been loaned out to six different teams by Brentford.

“We believe in Ellery,” said Thomas Frank, manager of the Bees’ first team. “He looked sharp, fit and trained with top attitude in pre-season so it’s very important for him to get out there and get minutes.”

When asked about the praise from Frank, Balcombe said: “I’ve been to quite a few clubs now and it’s always good to have that confidence when you go back home.”

Crawley have had a busy summer transfer window under their new owners, WAGMI United. Balcombe is now their 13th signing amongst an array of players from the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and many more.

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Within those new arrivals is fellow goalkeeper Corey Addai, who joined Crawley off the back of brief spell playing in Denmark.

At 24 years of age, Addai could rival Balcombe for the number one spot as they both push for game time.

“It’s going to be good for us,” said Balcombe. “Competition only brings out the best in people.”

Balcombe, alongside many of the other summer recruits, know Crawley’s manager Kevin Betsy from their time playing under him in the England youth setup.

“He’s a good gaffer to be working underneath,” said Balcombe on Betsy. “From the England setup, I liked his style of play. I can’t wait to get to work with him and his vision for the club moving forward.”

Crawley suffered a disappointing loss in their first game of the season away to Carlisle United, during which, Balcombe made his competitive debut for Betsy’s side.

If promotion is on the cards for the rest of the season, the Reds will have to improve against Leyton Orient at home this Saturday.