DEFENDER Conor Masterson arrived in west London in July 2019 and has continued to impress for our Under-23s side, alongside trying to establish himself in the first-team picture.

Masterson’s footballing career began in his native Ireland, with an impressive spell with local side Lucan United eventually catching the eye of Premier League giants Liverpool - courtesy of a starring role at the Kennedy Cup.

A ball-playing centre-back, he captained Liverpool’s Under-18s before being promoted to their Under-23 setup at the tender age of 18.

This rapid rise through the youth ranks continued and he was subsequently recognised in 2018 with a place on the bench for Liverpool’s first-team fixtures against Manchester City and Everton.

A knee injury however curtailed his progress at Anfield and a switch to W12 in the summer of 2019 gave him a chance to get his career back on track.

An impressive 2019/20 campaign in the blue and white hoops saw him make 14 appearances, as well as notching his first-ever professional goal against Millwall in July 2020.

However, his 2020/21 season wasn’t as successful and, having only made six appearances for the R’s, a loan stint with Swindon Town was then hampered by injury, shortening his time at the County Ground.

Masterson spent time on loan at both Cambridge United and Gillingham during the 2021/22 campaign.

Internationally, he has represented the Republic of Ireland at Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 level. He was also named as the FAI's international player of the year in 2015.