ANDRE Gray has a permanent reminder of life before professional football, and he does not want to go back.

Growing up in the the Midlands, finding his way not only in the game but life in general, the youngster was attacked outside a Wolverhampton nightclub at Christmas time, 2011.

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By his own admission he had seen it coming; not necessarily that night, but the circles he mixed in - the gang culture, the street fights - there was always that element of risk.

He was mixed up with the wrong crowd. He got stabbed. But incredibly it’s something he now considers a positive.

With the four-inch facial scar, he gained a focus.

“That’s something I’ve put behind me now. If anything it’s made me the person I am today,” he said.

“I’ve learnt a lot from it. It’s a good experience and I think a lot of people don’t get to experience some of the things I have.

“They think life’s a bit more rosy but I know the real part of life now and it’s only going to stand me in good stead.”

Gray touches his scar with his left hand, acknowledging its existence, but not dwelling on the past.

“I just look forward now,” he said.

“I know what it’s like to be on that side and it’s going to drive me not to go back to that side.

“It’s quite easy just to look forward.”

That incident, in his home town, proved to be turning point both personally and professionally.

Playing for non-league Hinckley Town after his release from Shrewsbury, he went on to join Luton and grab the attention of Football League scouts, leading to his big break with Brentford.

There were testing times, but Gray never thought about an alternative career path.

“It was always football really,” he said.

“I had good people around me who just kept pushing me and pushing me.

“When I realised myself that I’ve got to do it, it was easy for me.”

One season in the Championship, 18 goals and a play-off place later and he is ready for that Premier League push again.

And after a summer of transfer speculation, he is eager to let his football do the talking again.

“The last few weeks have been difficult,” he said.

“I’ve never been in that situation before so it was quite hard to deal with at times, especially trying to play and train at the same time while that was all in my head, but it’s sorted now and I just want to kick on.

“Some people’s situations are maybe different, but when there’s such a big move on the table it can be difficult.

“I was always happy to play for Brentford and I’ve got a great relationship with the boys there and I got on well with the new manager as well. It was a bit difficult in that aspect because I wanted to give 100 per cent to them if I was going to play.

“So having to get my head around that was difficult.

“But it’s all done and sealed now. All I have to do is put the work in on the training pitch and start scoring goals for Burnley.”

The move got the seal of approval from some influential people in his life, including former Claret Ade Akinbiyi, who he has known since being an eight-year-old at Wolves.

“I spoke to him the day I was coming up. He’d obviously heard what was happening and he said it was the perfect move for me.

“Hearing it from him as well was another factor. He’s always been someone I’ve looked up to and we’ve kept in contact.

“I’ve still got a good relationship with my previous manager (Mark Warburton) and (his assistant) David Weir too, and sitting down and speaking with my agent and then getting a second opinion off them that this would definitely be the right place to be.”

He credits former Brentford management duo, Warburton and Weir, for being a big factor in where he is today, having turned him into a predator on the pitch.

“Last season was my first season playing up front on my own,” he explained.

“I found it difficult at first but through his guidance and David Weir’s guidance it made it a lot easier for me.

“I can’t thank them enough for what they did for me last season. They showed faith in me when I went nine games without scoring. It would have been easy for them to drop me and put me on the bench, which at times I expected.

“That’s football and if you’re not scoring goals sometimes you might need a rest. But they showed faith in me and I ended up kicking on even more.”

But it left Gray feeling that if he could get through that, he could get through most things.

“I learnt a lot through it,” he said.

“I’ve still got a lot to learn and develop. I’m not the finished article at all so it was a massive part of it to come here and learn and get even better.”