Aaron Pierre describes his decision to break out of under-21 football and join Wanderers as “the best experience of my life” following the club’s successful season.

Brentford wanted to keep hold of the defender, who joined their ranks in 2011 after his release from Fulham, and made him an offer to stay at Griffin Park last summer.

Opportunities in the first team had been at a premium for the 22-year-old and he turned down the Championship club in order to sign for Wycombe, the club whom he had made eight appearances for in a three month loan spell last season.

Pierre says he was driven to make the decision by a desire to make a name for himself and dismissed the suggestion that moving to a team who had narrowly avoided relegation to the Conference two months beforehand was a risk.

“You can only get better by playing first team games and that’s the choice I had to make when I was playing under-21 games at Brentford to come to League Two and play first team football,” he said.

“It’s all good playing at a higher club, as they’re in the Championship, but that’s good for the club not for me. Sometimes you have to drop down, gain experience and make sure you do well for yourself.”

Under the tutelage of Gareth Ainsworth the centre-back has flourished in his first full season in professional football, making 49 appearances and scoring five goals for the club.

In the previous three years with the Bees Pierre had made only three first team appearances, all from the bench in early rounds of the League Cup and Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

Wycombe’s efforts to reach League One saw them all agonisingly short of automatic promotion and in the play-off final, but Pierre says his decision has been vindicated.

He explained: “I had to turn it [the contract off from Brentford] down for my own benefit because it’s all good being at a top club but if you’re not in the first team squad then it’s a pointless effort, so I had to make a name for myself.

“I had to do what I had to do, and coming down here was the best experience of my life. I never thought that I’d be at Wembley.

“Last year if I thought this would happen I’d probably have laughed at myself, but, at the end of the day, if you work hard you get the results. We just fell a little bit short but next season I’m sure we’ll do it.”

It hasn’t taken long for the defender to set his sights on mounting a promotion push next season, and he feels the team will be better for the experience they shared at Wembley.

The core of Wanderers’ squad is contracted for next season and, barring any player sales, Pierre expects the squad to be pushing each other to better the achievements of a record breaking season.

He said: “We’ve got to keep pushing each other because everyone wants to win and for us to do that we need to challenge each other, we need to push each other and test each other and this season we’ve done that.

“Last season we almost got relegated and this season we almost got promoted. Within the club we’re achievers already and next season the aim is to get promoted, 100 per cent.

“I think our expectations have increased from making 50 points to want to push higher and that’s credit to us players.”