There has never been any doubt whatsoever about Reece Brown's ability and potential. Go trawling through manager interviews at any stage of the the 23 year old's fledgling career, and that is a sentiment that occurs again and again.

From the moment he made his debut for Birmingham City as a 17 year old, the midfielder has looked the part. That first appearance game as a substitute in a 3-0 defeat to Burnley in September 2013, with then-Blues manager Lee Clark opting to throw academy scholar Brown on early in the second half.

The former Town boss gushed about his teenage sensation after the match despite the disappointment of defeat, saying: "[He's a] super little footballer, great technician, and for someone who is so slight he is still very strong when he has got possession of the ball.

"Reece has got great self-confidence and we think there’s a bright future ahead of him."

Brown signed his first professional deal four months later after months of negotiation, with Birmingham Live journalist Gregg Evans decribing it as a 'great coup' for the club.

Brown made sporadic first-team appearances over the next seven months, and was promising in a month-long loan at Notts County at the beginning of the 2014/15 season.

But despite all that promise and talent, Brown would make just one more league appearance for Birmingham's first team between the Augusts of 2014 and 2016, a huge waste of those formative years between 18 and 20.

Birmingham manager Gary Rowett made no secret as to why that was. In October 2015 he told BBC Radio West Midlands: "I know he is a really, really talented footballer. I don’t think anyone would doubt that.

"I don’t think I am out of turn in saying this because I have said it to Browny on a number of occasions - some of the other things he has to do better.

"Little things like some of the weights sessions in the gym he has turned up late a couple of times - little things like that. Maybe sometimes he needs to understand what it takes to be a top professional.

"I have got high hopes for Browny, I hope he can piece it all together, I have certainly not given up on him doing that.

"But people have to show you all of those attributes and at the moment he has probably shown some of them but maybe not the full quota required to get in my team week in week out."

Six month later, Brown was suspended by the club pending an investigation into his professionalism and punctuality - and that was the moment that things started to click into gear for him

Brown, then 20, said of his spell on the sidelines: "A few things helped the penny drop. A lot of people spoke to me and tried to help me.

"Especially speaking to my dad and seeing his disappointment of me getting suspended - that really hits you. He knows I can do it, so why wouldn't I want to?

"No-one wants to see their parents unhappy, that was definitely a factor.

"I never lost the faith I would pull on a Birmingham shirt again, I have always said I believe in my ability - as long as I keep my head right I will always get my chances, I think.

"I have always felt comfortable at [Championship] level, the first game or two you ease yourself back in but if I could get a run in the team I will grow with that and get better with that."

Those weren't just empty words, with Rowett agreeing that Brown's change of attitude was like night and day. More regular first-team appearances were his reward, with Brown making eight league appearances in the first half of the season after two years out of the side.

Rowett said: "The kid has had such a turnaround, to the point last year where literally we couldn't get him into the gym, let alone do the work we wanted him to do - and ended up taking about five-grand’s worth of fines off him.

"He has been a completely changed character this year, he has been a joy to have around, he walks around with a smile on his face and he thoroughly deserved his chance.”"

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of Brown's problems. Rowett was controversially replaced by Gianfranco Zola in December 2016, and he sent Brown out on loan to then-League One strugglers Chesterfield on the last day of the January transfer window.

Zola believed the move would be good for Brown's maturity, adding: "He was determined to go and I am pleased he went, hopefully he is going to do well. I have no doubt about his qualities and potential as a player, now we will see if we can improve other parts of his game.”

The loan was supposed to run until the end of the season - but ended up lasting just six weeks.

"Reece has gone back to Birmingham," explained Spireites manager Gary Caldwell in mid-March. "We had a few incidents and I just felt it was best he go back."

With Birmingham now unable to field Brown and seemingly out of patience, that marked the end of his career at the club he had joined as a ten year old.

At a time in his career when he would have hoped Premier League clubs would come begging for his signature, Brown found himself taking the step down two divisions to join newly-promoted Gloucestershire-based side Forest Green Rovers, a club making their first-ever foray into league football for the 2017/18 season.

But as it would turn out, that was just the move that Brown needed to get his head straight. Anyone who has changed jobs or moved to a new area and found it to be just what they needed to make a fresh start can surely relate.

A tally of 11 goals and 14 assists last season, as well a place in the PFA League Two Team of the Year, speak of a young man who has finally found a way to get the most out of his undoubted talent and fleet feet.

Gloucestershire Live's Forest Green writer Henry Port wrote in April of this year: "Reece has continued to grow into an integral part of the Forest Green Rovers team. Initially he struggled to nail down a starting place, to the frustration of the fans and his managers.

"However, this season he has not only developed physically but he has become arguably the first name on the team-sheet. I believe that comes down to his dedication and desire to improve along with the rest of this Forest Green Rovers team.

"Off the pitch, he has matured and is able to stand on his own two feet.

"[Rovers manager Mark] Cooper admitted that Brown spends a lot more time in and around Stroud. Off the field is where Brown has struggled previously, but he now seems to be much more settled in his Gloucestershire surroundings."

Cooper himself backed that up towards the end of last season, complimenting another stellar Brown performance by saying he was 'doing things properly and he’s getting his rewards'.

Just two days ago, Gloucestershire Live published a countdown of the club's best 20 signings of the last two decades. Brown was named at number three.

The way Brown initially reacted to his suspension at Birmingham, coupled with the seemingly untroubled and two years he has spent blossoming at Forest Green Rovers, suggest that he has got those bad habits out of his system and is more than ready to make the step back up to the level he will know he should probably have been at all along.

Enter Huddersfield Town, who have today confirmed that Brown has joined the club on a three-year deal.

With Christopher Schindler, Jonathan Hogg, Tommy Elphick, Tommy Smith and other consummate professionals in the Town dressing room to provide guidance, and head coach Jan Siewert well-reputed for his ability to guide young players, Town's transfer committee may not even see Brown as that much of a gamble.

If the evidence of the last two years prove to be Brown's new standard, then the Terriers may stand to be the major beneficiaries as he continues on his road to redemption and looks to prove exactly why that ability was never in doubt.