The last few weeks have been nothing short of a whirlwind for Ellery Balcombe. He had been enjoying a successful loan spell with William Hill Premiership St Mirren, which saw him establish his credentials as the number one in Paisley, and even represented on the European stage in the Europa Conference League.
But almost in the blink of an eye, his season was altered. To the surprise of many outside the St Mirren inner circle, when the announcement came out that Balcombe had been recalled by Brentford, there was one of surprise.
But then Zach Hemming would return to the Paisley side, and maybe more sense would have been made of the situation. Regardless, the 25-year-old was still back in London unexpectedly. And as any good professional would do, he threw himself into training with the first-team and just got on with it. It’s football at the end of the day.
However, north of the border in North Lanarkshire, what could only be described as a goalkeeping enigma was taking place at Motherwell. First-choice keeper Aston Oxborough was ruled out with a hand injury, and second-choice keeper Krisztián Hegyi was recalled to his parent club, leaving the Steelmen without a senior fit goalkeeper at the club 24 hours before the trip to Hibernian. Thankfully, Archie Mair was recruited just in time and took his spot between the sticks.
But that wasn’t the end of the bad misfortune. Mair would also pick up a hand injury after just two games and was ruled out of action. Back to square one and frantically looking for a replacement, Balcombe was contacted and didn’t flinch once before making the journey to Scotland for the second time this season.
“It’s been a bit crazy for me,” Ellery Balcombe said.
“Obviously with the move but then also with the manager leaving. But this is football, and I’m just looking forward to the team getting settled and picking up some results beyond that.”
Balcombe was in a rare position for a footballer, as he knew he was coming in to play from the start. But despite this luxury, he has an all-out mindset where he knows that playing is not guaranteed.
“It’s good to be playing, but you need to bear in mind there’s always going to be competition for places,” he explained.
“Ox is coming back in a couple of months, and Calum is now here too. There’s still competition, so I’ve got to perform and keep my spot. I want to be number one at Motherwell just now, and the only way I can achieve that is to keep performing.
“This is a new team for me, and I need to get my confidence up within the system. The Celtic game wasn’t a good result for us, but for me, I was making some saves, which helps my confidence.”
Football can often work in strange and unique ways. For Balcombe, his season had a really different look. But what he didn’t know was that his best mate, Dom Thompson, was also going through some heavy change.
Thompson was released by Blackpool and signed on the dotted line with Motherwell later that day. The odd thing was, the pen he used to sign his new contract was also by Ellery Balcombe, on the same day!
“We had no idea we were joining the same team,” Balcombe laughed.
“Everything happened so quickly. Dom texted me in the morning saying that he might be going to Motherwell. I replied, saying how mad this was because they’d just made contact with me about playing at the weekend.
“It all happened in one day for me; I found out in the morning, and I was up in Scotland that same night. It was a quick turnaround; I don’t know how it happened, but we’re both here, and it’s great.
“We’ve known each other for five or six years now. He joined Brentford in 2019, and ever since then, we’ve been very close. We’re two positive people who have been through a lot in football. Some of it has been ups, some of it has been downs, but we try to stay positive together throughout it all.
“It has helped us settle here quicker for sure. He can turn to me for advice, and I can turn to him. Having someone like that here means it will be better for both of us and will help us both out in the long run.”
Balcombe has had a jam-packed career to date, with his current loan move to Fir Park marking the ninth loan move in his career.
And the goalkeeper believes that each of those loan moves, combined with a youth career built in the academy at Brentford, has made the man he is today.
“It was very important with the newly formed B team we had at Brentford,” Balcombe added.
“That allowed me to get exposure in some big games around the world. All of the different loans I’ve been on have helped me become the keeper I am today. Playing in all of those games, you are going to make mistakes, however.
“Mistakes are a big part of goalkeeping, so it’s more about the mindset of getting over those mistakes quickly that has been important for me. That’s the biggest thing I can take away from my games to date, just how vital the mindset of being positive is.”
Balcombe has made it very clear he wants to hold onto his place between the sticks at Motherwell, but even at his parent club, which he has been with since the age of eight, he has unfinished business.
“At the moment, they’ve [Brentford] got a great number one in Mark Flekken,” Balcombe commented.
“For me personally, I feel like I need game. There’s no point in me just sitting around, just chilling effectively, when I can get out and play. It doesn’t matter to me the level I play at; I’ve played at most levels to this point. As long as I’m playing and getting that experience and learning, it’s most welcome.
“It’s hard being a loan keeper and coming into a new club; there’s only one spot in the team. All I can do is focus on my performance and keep my spot.”
It’s been a hugely successful few years at Brentford. Not only making their way up from League Two to the Premier League, but also establishing themselves as a top-flight team in England, something that couldn’t have been further from the imagination when Balcombe first joined the Bees.
“It’s been crazy there,” he said.
“When I was 16, they closed down the academy at Brentford. Then when I went back in January, they were reopening it. So, it’s been a full 360 on that, but when I was first there, they were in League Two. The development of the club has been crazy.
“We used to get changed in portacabins at training. It was a shambles, but now it’s completely different. Hopefully they can keep progressing and finish higher each season in the Premier League.
“A big thing I love about Brentford is the trust. Obviously, they’ve got a number one just now, but they see that I could be their number one one day. It’s about me believing in their plan for me and giving back to them for putting that faith in me.
“The loan department is in constant communication with me. A couple of guys keep in touch, and there’s a goalkeeping coach who will watch all my games and go through everything with me. He’ll then report back to the manager and staff from there.”
The trust in the plan is something that is apparent, and Balcombe has had a taste of what a successful plan could feel like.
At the start of the 2023/24 season, Balcombe was given his opportunity by Thomas Frank in an EFL Cup second round match against Newport County. The match ended 1-1; however, Balcombe produced some heroics in the subsequent penalty shootout to get his team into the hat for the next round.
And that was his first appearance for the club, which had been a while in the making.
“I’m a Brentford fan, so that was a dream come true,” he stated.
“It was a crazy night. I’ve been in and around the first team since I was 17 or 18, but to finally get that opportunity after all the years I’d waited was unreal. For example, I’d been recalled on loan from Burton Albion; I got the call from the chief executive to say I was coming back, and I was going to be playing against Manchester United the following day. The game got cancelled because of Covid-19.
“There’s been all sorts of situations like that, so it was surreal to actually play but also to save two penalties in that game and get us through. That’s something I’ll always remember. I want to be a regular first-team player for Brentford. That’s the ambition.
“What I’m doing now will hopefully show them what I’m all about; hopefully in the years to come, I’ll get more opportunities.”
