Sam Sene-Richardson Opens Up on Non-League Journey

Sam Sene-Richardson believes being released by Charlton Athletic as a youngster was the best thing that could have happened to him after completing a permanent move to Brentford B.

He arrives from Chatham Town on a two-year deal that runs until the summer of 2028, with Brentford holding an option to extend for another season.

Sene-Richardson’s arrival is another example of Brentford’s willingness to look beyond the traditional academy pathway. He spent seven years at Charlton, joining as an under-nine and staying until his release at under-16, before dropping into non-league football.

Instead of stepping straight into senior football at Chatham, Sene-Richardson climbed through the lower rungs of the non-league pyramid, earning his place in the first team the hard way.

“I was at Charlton from Under-9s to Under-16s. Got released, then dropped into non-league,” Sene-Richardson said in an interview with Brentford FC after signing for the club.

“I didn’t actually start at step three. It was step three, loan to step six, step five and then got into Chatham’s first team and then yeah, I played at Chatham last year, and I think that men’s football side of it has properly helped in terms of the physical, so yeah, I hope I can bring this here.”

Those years outside the academy system proved to be an early crash course in the realities of senior football. Facing seasoned opponents, Sene-Richardson had to adapt quickly to challenges he might never have seen in a more sheltered academy environment.

“I think I enjoyed it much more really,” he added. “Obviously learning the physical side of it, the dark arts side of the game much more because there were grown men doing it to me. So yeah, I think I can definitely learn a lot.”

He now looks back on his Charlton setback as a turning point, not the end of his professional ambitions but the start of something new.

“I think it’s probably the best thing that happened to me. Like my mentality just switched and to get into the program here now was my main goal.”

His story fits Brentford’s approach of seeking out players who haven’t always followed the traditional path. The B team is designed as a bridge between youth and senior football, and Sene-Richardson joins with the benefit of already having tested himself against experienced opposition.

The next step in his development will come away from the pitch as much as on it. The 19-year-old pinpointed his own strength, conditioning and explosiveness as areas to work on, and Brentford’s facilities were a big part of the appeal.

“I think the main part I need to improve is like off the pitch stuff,” he said. “So the strength and conditioning side of the game, explosiveness. So I think with these facilities, yeah, I can definitely do that.”

On the pitch, he sees himself as a player who wants to make things happen, not just keep the ball moving but create and finish chances whenever he can.

“I like to get on the ball. I like to make things happen forward-thinking, create chances, like I said before, and if I see the goal, I’m shooting!”

Also making it clear that goals and assists will be central to how he measures his progress.

“I would say just the hunger to score, to get assists, to get numbers on the board. Because at the end of the day, that gets you noticed.

“That’s it really, just affecting games. Maybe if that’s not an assist or a goal, just making sure you’re affecting it, creating chances.”

Brentford’s step up to Category One academy status means the competition will be fierce, both for places and across the development programme. Sene-Richardson arrives ready for the challenge, seeing this move as the goal he’s been chasing since his Charlton days.

“I’m absolutely buzzing, it’s all I wanted to do,” he said. “It was my main goal in football and in life. So yeah, fighting for my position would be obviously one of my main targets.”

He’s already shown patience and resilience on his way up through non-league. Now, the Bees' facilities and coaching will help reveal just how far that experience can take him.