Aaron Pressley

Aaron Alex Pressley (born 7 November 2001) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Stevenage.

Pressley is a product of the Aston Villa and Heart of Midlothian academies and he began his professional career with Brentford in 2020. After failing to break into the first team squad, he transferred to Stevenage in 2023. Pressley was capped by Scotland at U16 and U17 level.

2020–2021
After beginning his career in the Heart of Midlothian and Aston Villa academies, Pressley transferred to the B team at Championship club Brentford on 29 January 2020. During what remained of the COVID-19-affected 2019–20 season, he scored three goals in six appearances. As a result of the EFL permitting 9 substitutes to be named in matchday squads partway through the 2020–21 season, Pressley was promoted onto the first team substitutes' bench and was named in 15 matchday squads between November 2020 and February 2021. He made three substitute appearances during the period, but was not involved in Brentford's promotion-winning playoff campaign at the end of the season. Pressley top-scored with 19 goals in 26 B team appearances during the 2020–21 season and was voted the team's Players' Player of the Year. In May 2021, he signed a new two-year contract, with a one-year option.

2021–22 and AFC Wimbledon loan
In July 2021, Pressley joined League One club AFC Wimbledon on loan for the duration of the 2021–22 season. Prior to being sidelined for 9 weeks with a hamstring injury suffered in a mid-December 2021 training match, he had made 25 appearances and scored four goals. As part of his return to fitness, Pressley was named in Brentford B's 2022 Atlantic Cup squad and made one appearance at the tournament. Following his return to the AFC Wimbledon squad in late February 2022, Pressley made two substitute appearances before suffering a reoccurrence of the injury, which ended his season and he returned to Brentford for surgery and rehabilitation. In his absence, the Dons were relegated to League Two.

2022–2023 and Accrington Stanley loan
Pressley returned to match play with the B team in mid-November 2022 and on 4 January 2023, he joined League One club Accrington Stanley on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season. On his second appearance, Pressley's two goals and performance in a EFL Trophy quarter-final penalty shoot-out win over Lincoln City saw him win the competition's Player of the Round award. He ended his spell with 27 appearances and eight goals, but was unable to prevent the club's relegation to League Two.

The one-year option on Pressley's Brentford contract was exercised at the end of the 2022–23 season. During the 2023–24 pre-season, he was included in the first team's 2023 Premier League Summer Series squad and made a substitute appearance in the opening match versus Fulham. On 2 August 2023, Pressley departed the club.

Stevenage
On 2 August 2023, Pressley transferred to League One club Stevenage and signed a two-year contract, with a one-year option, for a compensation fee. During a 2023–24 season in which he missed three months due to injury,  he made 25 appearances and scored four goals.

International career
Pressley was capped by Scotland at U16 and U17 level. In November 2021, he won his maiden U21 call up for a pair of 2023 European U21 Championship qualifiers and remained an unused substitute in both matches.

Personal life
Pressley is the son of footballer and manager Steven Pressley and the older Pressley worked with his son in the role of Head of Individual Development at Brentford. Pressley walked out with his father as a mascot at the 2006 Scottish Cup Final. He attended Cramond Primary School and Princethorpe College. As of February 2021, Pressley was living in Richmond. When Pressley's former Aston Villa academy teammate Charlie Farr transferred to Brentford early in the 2022–23 season, he roomed with Pressley.

Career statistics


Honours

 * Brentford B Players' Player of the Year: 2020–21