Ellery Balcombe

Ellery Ronald Balcombe (born 15 October 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL League One club Burton Albion, on loan from Brentford. He is a product of the Brentford academy and was capped by England at youth level.

Club Career

Brentford

Youth years (2014–2018)

A goalkeeper, Balcombe began his career as a youth with Bedford Panthers and Stevenage, before joining the academy and the Elite U19 Education and Football Programme at Brentford. He was a part of the U15 team which won the Junior Globe at the 2014 Milk Cup. While still an U16, he broke into the youth team during the second half of the 2015–16 season, making six appearances and he also made four Development Squad appearances.

At the end of the 2015–16 season, Balcombe was promoted into the new Brentford B team and signed his first professional contract on 15 October 2016. Three weeks later, he won his maiden first team call up for a West London derby with Fulham, after second-choice goalkeeper Jack Bonham suffered whiplash in a car accident and remained an unused substitute during the 2–0 defeat. He played in the majority of the B team's matches during the 2016–17 season and helped the team to win the 2017 Kai Thor Cup. Balcombe was the undisputed first choice goalkeeper for the B team during the 2017–18 season and made 30 appearances. He received his only first team call up of the season for an FA Cup third round match versus Notts County on 6 January 2018.

First team (2018–present)

In June 2018, Balcombe signed a new four-year contract and was promoted into the first team squad. He departed Griffin Park on a half-season loan in August 2018, but returned early through injury in mid-October 2018. After regaining fitness, he won his first senior call up of the 2018–19 for an FA Cup third round match versus Oxford United on 5 January 2019. Injuries suffered by goalkeepers saw Balcombe receive a n