Myles Hippolyte’s dreams of becoming a professional were dashed when he was released by Brentford last year – but the youngster is rebuilding his career in Scotland after a turbulent 12 months that has taken him from Blackburn to Burnham.
The forward was shown the door by the Bees due to his attitude and behaviour, despite topping the club’s scoring charts at U18 level.
Unsuccessful trials at Blackburn and Charlton followed where he failed to win a deal despite impressing, but after a brief stint in non-league, the 19-year-old is getting back on track in Scotland.
West Londoner Hippolyte, who also had brief spells with Fulham, QPR and Reading while growing up in Kensington, cut short a trial at Sheffield Wednesday to sign a 12-month contract with Scottish Championship outfit Livingston.
However, he admits being released by Brentford for non-footballing reasons was a bitter pill to swallow.
He said: “Off the pitch I was slack. I was late to training and wasn’t switched on enough. I was naive and didn’t see the bigger picture.
“I had let myself down. I knew I was good enough, so it was very tough to take. It was the worst possible outcome because if it was due to lack of ability I could’ve accepted it. It was heartbreaking.”
The former Twyford High School pupil refused to give up hope, and was offered lifelines by Championship outfits Blackburn and Charlton.
“I enjoyed my time at Blackburn. It was a good experience,” said Hippolyte, who played junior football for Westway in the Harrow Youth League. “They only wanted to sign one player, and they chose my friend instead.
“I spent more than a month at Chartlon and things went well. I trained with Jason Euell’s U21s and also the first team a couple of times under Chris Powell.
“But in the end they didn’t want to take the risk. It was becoming hard for me to get a club because of my reputation.
“Some people who don’t know me think I’m a rudeboy, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Once they get to know me they think the complete opposite.
“My head went a bit, but my family gave me the confidence and belief to keep on going.”
Hippolyte dropped into non-league with Tamworth and also had spells at Hayes & Yeading and Burnham.
But he got his break after being contacted on LinkedIn by agent Ashur Caynes from New Breed Sports Management, who set him up with another trial, this time at Sheffield Wednesday.
“I went up and after a couple of days training I scored five goals in a friendly game for their U21s,” said Hippolyte.
“Lee Bullen wanted to sign me but was waiting for first-team manager Stuart Gray to have a look at me as there was a tight budget.
“I went back up for a game against a good Everton side, which we lost 3-0. Lee had a word with my agent and recommended me to Livingston.
“After a couple of days in Scotland I was offered a one-year deal. It was something concrete and a platform for me to build on.”
Hippolyte hasn’t looked back and his four goals in 14 games for the Scottish side has helped them reach the Petrofac Training Cup final, with Rangers possible opponents.
The 19-year-old, who came through the Brentford ranks with the likes of Josh Clarke, has grabbed his chance with both hands and insists he is loving the quiet life in West Lothian.
He added: “It’s a big change to what I’m used to. We’ve got fans cheering us on and kids singing about me. I’m overwhelmed by it all. It makes me hungry to succeed.
“I want to do well for Livingston. Being away from the distractions of London enables me to concentrate fully on my football.
“We’ve already reach the cup final and hopefully we can get into the play-offs, but we know it will be tough against the likes of Rangers, Hearts and Hibernian.”
