Young Gun: Josh Robinson

Throughout the season, we catch up with our young Gunners in the matchday programme to find out more about their route to our academy. This week, Josh Robinson explains how he ended up at Hale End, his favourite memories working through the age groups and his experience of playing at some of the country's best stadiums.

I grew up in the Leyton area of east London, and my family background is that my dad is Jamaican and my mum is Malaysian and English. Before I got into football I did a lot of swimming. I got into football by watching people play in my area, and I thought it looked fun, so I decided to get involved.

At school I started to play football more and, on top of that, I would be in the athletics teams too. But I just saw football as a hobby rather than an actual career at that point. Growing up I’d play on the wing, so I enjoyed watching players like Douglas Costa, who was quality. I also liked Paul Pogba too; he was skilful and had great technical ability. 

My position changed to full back/wing back when I was in a pre-academy team because they noticed I was good at getting up and down the pitch, and I didn’t mind doing the defensive work either. I think previously being a winger helped me adapt to full-back because nowadays you have to get forward and support the attack, and I also like the defensive work, so it’s the perfect role for me.

Before I joined Arsenal officially I had been on trial with them a year before, but I didn’t get in. After that, I had a trial at Crystal Palace, and after four weeks they were impressed. I was actually about to sign for them, but Arsenal came back and showed their interest in me, so I decided to sign for them at around 11 years old.

When I first got to Hale End I was nervous but also very excited. It’s great when you go there and you see all the staff in the Arsenal kit and the lovely pitches. Sometimes we got to train with older age groups and we’d see the levels we’re trying to get to. Also, there were a lot of talented players, as you can imagine, so I just wanted to make sure that I could keep up with them.

"Previously being a winger helped me adapt to full-back because nowadays you have to get forward and support the attack"

Some of the best memories from those days were the chance to visit countries from all over the world. For example, I’ve been to India – the culture out there is very different, and it was a wonderful experience. We even went to Qatar, and it was so hot out there! When we brought out a cooler of ice, it turned to water in no longer than 30 minutes!

When I got called in for my scholarship decision I was initially confused when they called me in. At first, I thought I was in trouble or I had done something wrong, but it was a surreal moment when they told me they wanted to offer me a full scholarship. Similarly, when I got my professional contract, it felt amazing to see that all my hard work had paid off. Even though there’s plenty of work to be done, I’m happy to know that the Arsenal staff have put their faith in me and believe in my ability.

Last year’s FA Youth Cup run to the final was special, even though we didn’t manage to get over the line. It was still an amazing experience to be able to play at big grounds like St James’ Park and Emirates Stadium. The Emirates is an amazing surface and is much bigger than I expected. When you’re running on it there’s so much space. It’s a dream come true to have been able to play there and to be able to do it in an Arsenal shirt made it even more special.

Scoring my first league goal for the under-21s against Leeds United was a great moment, especially given that I’d been out for so long with injury, and it earned us a point on the day too. I’ve trained with the first team on multiple occasions, and it’s a challenge to say the least. When I first got there I was starstruck, and you notice that everything they do is so clean and executed to the highest level.

My aim for the rest of the season is to firstly become a consistent part of the under-21 squad – I’ve just come back from injury so I want to be able to stay fit and play as many games as possible. Then while I’m on the pitch I want to contribute by getting more clean sheets, goals, and assists.

Before a game I always make sure to check the pitch, and I only ever wear studs no matter how hard the surface is. I’m also big about my faith so I say a prayer before every game. My Bible has helped me a lot, particularly those times when I was injured.

This interview appeared in the Arsenal v Newcastle United matchday programme, which you can purchase online now.