Louis Britton claims he was "thrown under the bus" following Nigel Pearson's criticism of his fitness and believes he was never given a fair crack of the whip among the senior set-up before his release.
The young striker, who recently signed for Cork City, saw his three-year spell at his boyhood club come to an end this summer when he was released on a free transfer. It came just over a year after realising his dream by coming off the bench to score against Brentford in a 3-1 defeat towards the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
For Britton, he and many supporters thought that moment would be the catalyst to help force his way into the first-team, after becoming one of eight academy prospects to be handed his debut towards the end of last season. It was the next step in his journey from working as a painter and decorator alongside his dad Geoff and plying the trades of non-league football with Cadbury Heath, Brislington and Mangotsfield United before City picked him up.
Like most talented youngsters coming through the ranks in BS3, Britton had to earn his stripes before making his debut. He'd had loan spells with Yate Town, Bath City, Torquay and Stockport. He had scored 16 goals for the U23s before knocking home Tomas Kalas' header across goal to mark his only senior appearance for the Robins.
It was what followed that left Britton bewildered, frustrated and wanting to have his say on how he felt he was left hung out to dry. In September, four months after his debut, Pearson went public with his reasoning for leaving Britton out of the senior side at the beginning of the new season by claiming his fitness levels weren't up to the required standard to make the step up.
He said: "If he's going to be considered at first-team level he's got to make adjustments to how physically fit he is. Our first team are now at a level of fitness where he wouldn't be able to deal with training.
"That's the honest answer, and he knows that as well. We've had a discussion about where he's at, physically, and there will be times where he's taken out of games so that he can work at the physical aspects of his game.
"Scoring goals at Under-23 level, or whatever level you play at, is nowhere near the same as it is in the first-team. What Louis has got going for him is he's very game-effective but he can't sustain it, not at a high level."
Looking back on it now, Britton told Bristol Live: "It's just not nice being a 20-year-old and seeing that the manager has come out and said you're not fit enough in public. I felt like I was thrown under the bus.
"I feel a lot happened after I scored on my debut. The week after, I played for the Under-23s and tore my MCL and I was out for nine weeks. I was due to train with the first team that summer and unfortunately I couldn't and when I came back, those quotes came out about me being unfit.
"I came back from injury and he said I wasn't fit enough to train with the first team but I was never going to get to that level of fitness by training with the Under-23s because it's completely different. I never got the chance to prove I was fit enough because after my debut, I never trained with them again, and not many people know that.
"I wasn't given the chance to prove myself. I backed myself, I thought I would go on to make an impact in the first team but I didn't even get the chance to train. I wasn't getting a look in. It wasn't the best for me seeing as how I'd come off the back of my debut, I was ready to push on.
"To be honest after the summer, I didn't really speak to him (Pearson). I spoke to him once or twice about what the situation was and he obviously explained to me that I wasn't fit enough and then it came out in the article. I was basically gone and that is what it felt like. I think another young player could have been really offended by that and it was a bit harsh but it's been said now and we've moved on."
One month prior to that, Britton was given the heads up that a number of League Two scouts were in attendance during an Under-23s pre-season friendly with Yate Town - the striker scoring the game's only goal with his head in the first half. It was expected he would head out on loan for his first real taste of Football League before suggesting the club pulled the plug on the switch.
He added: "I was told by other staff that I was supposed to be going on loan and I had a few League Two club's offers waiting and one day we played a pre-season against Yate and I got told there were teams coming to watch me today, make sure you do your best.
"I scored and got taken off and then was told 'you're not going on loan, you're staying here because we want you to get fit' - it was disappointing because I would have liked to have gone out on loan in League Two to prove myself and I probably wouldn't be in the situation that I'm in now."
Britton took Pearson's comments on board and hired a personal trainer outside of his club training regime to help achieve the standards asked of him. He was also doing extra running after sessions with Head of Academy Sports Scientist Steve Taylor - someone he has huge respect for alongside Academy Director Brian Tinnion who still checks up on him today.
"I even hired a private personal trainer on my days off to get myself fitter, I was doing extra running after training with Steve Taylor. That's how much I wanted it but unfortunately, I didn't get my chance again but that's football for you and there's no point holding a grudge.
"From the first-team staff I feel like I didn't get the support but fair play to the U23 staff, they were supporting me, asking how my mental health was and things like that. I've got a lot of respect for Steve Taylor, he had a plan for me and got me fit enough."
By January, with just six months left on his contract, Britton was told to look for a new club. He joined Woking on a month's loan in December before signing for Irish side Waterford, impressing by scoring 10 goals in 17 appearances.
Cork won the race over their rivals Waterford to sign him permanently, in which he was then inundated on social media with snake and rat emojis from Waterford supporters who were left angered by his decision. It's not something that bothers Britton.
With his side top of the Irish first division, his short-term goals are to win the league and golden boot before planning a return to England as he has unfinished business to attend to.
He said: "I didn't think the rivalry was that big until I saw all the comments on Twitter, it got a lot of people talking that's for sure. I could have headed back to England but I thought this was the best decision, especially off the back of playing for Waterford.
"I feel like I've got a point to prove. That's why I came out here, I felt like I had to get out of England to get my career back on track and I feel that's what I'm doing at the moment.
"I didn't want to come back to England to sit on the bench and not have the chance to prove myself so being here is an opportunity for me to win the league and finish top scorer, carrying on from Waterford.
"That's what I needed, to play with a smile on my face. I enjoyed my time at Bristol City, I had a good three years there and especially coming from a painter and decorator to playing for City was a dream come true. But it was an up and down journey."
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