Noah Chilvers has enjoyed his loan spell at Bath, and is targeting first team football at the U's
The young midfielder had a productive time at Bath City on loan before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the UK, making a good impression at the National South club.
He feels that it has been a beneficial spell in the South West, and has been pleased with his development overall this season.
Speaking to the Colchester Gazette, he said: "It's been a good season for me."
"My aim at the start of it was to try to get into the Colchester first team and play as many games as I could.
"I felt that I played well in the Leasing.com Trophy games when I got the opportunities and I came on and made an impact in the Carabao Cup game at Crystal Palace.
"Going on loan was always part of the plan for me and the club and getting consistent games in a men's league for Bath has really helped me.
"Jon de Souza and Tony Humes have been coming to watch my games and John McGreal and Steve Ball have been in regular contact. It's good that they've been tracking my progress.
"It was a big thing for me to go out on loan and get experience and for me to prove that I can make the step up and show that I'm ready to make the next step.
"My plan now is to force my way into the first-team reckoning at Colchester.
"I want to try and impress the manager and play for Colchester United, a club that I've been at for so many years now."
With the season over for Bath, Noah thinks that he will return to U's training as and when the squad are back at Florence Park, and wants to be involved in the final push for promotion.
"I've had the taste of it and we're getting towards the business end of the season now. The appetite to get back and play is greater now than it is when you get back for pre-season.
"The National League South season is now finished so I think the plan will be to go back to Colchester, as and when we resume. I do miss that feeling of whacking a ball into a net."
The nineteen year old made his debut against Newport County towards the end of the 2018/19 season but hit the headlines a few months later.
He came on as a second half substitute in the Carabao Cup tie at Selhurst Park, scoring the winning penalty to knock out Crystal Palace and setting up the tie against Tottenham Hotspur.
Unsurprisingly, it's a night that Chilvers remembers and is happy to speak about.
He said: "The Crystal Palace game helped to boost my confidence levels, in and around the squad.
"It's something that people bring up a lot. When I first went to Bath, it was the first thing that people said to me.
"It was a massive moment for me; the biggest moment of my life. I've tried not to bring it up too much as I get a bit of stick from the lads but it was a proud moment for me.
"Coming on in that match was a bit of an eye opener for me but if you work hard, then the chances will come. The gaffer said before he send me on that he believed in me and told me to show what I can do.
"It's great that I'm at a club in Colchester United that gives young players opportunities to show what they can do and where the coaches believe in you."