Colchester United youngsters Lordon Akolbire and Donell Thomas spoke of their delight to sign new deals with the club last week.
They were two of five players to sign with Colchester United for the upcoming 2022/23 season, and both said they were delighted to have their futures sorted.
Speaking to Lee Partridge on Col U TV, Lordon Akolbire said it was the right place for him to be.
"I've been here for a while and I was so happy to finally sign my first pro deal. I can't wait to see how the season goes."
Nineteen-year-old Akolbire has had plenty of game time for the U23s, slotting in at his usual full back position, having also gained experience playing in a first team down the road at Maldon and Tiptree.
And getting his contract signed early, Lordon says it will give him time to work on things before coming back for the 2022/23 season.
"I need to work on some things before coming back for next season, and it will help us to push on to what we want to achieve.
"Looking at the players who have managed to come through and get their place in the first team, it puts us at ease. They are making a lot of appearances, and it shows that we can do that as well. We need to follow in their footsteps and work as hard as they have.
"I worked with Wayne (Brown) a lot last season before he came to Colchester, and he helped me with a lot of my game. It makes me feel better that he knows me as a player already, and hopefully we can continue working together this season."
Donell Thomas was another player to put pen to paper at the U's, signing another deal after making his first team debut earlier in the 2021/22 season.
Thomas' appearance came at home against Forest Green Rovers in the U's Game For Ukraine, and he says that outing gave him the taste for first team action.
"I'd been in and around the first team, but I wasn't really getting games so I was unsure about getting a deal.
"But I got a call from Dave (Huzzey) about the Forest Green game, telling me that I was in the squad and everything felt surreal. Playing in front of a full stadium in front of the fans on Sky Sports, it was amazing.
"And I wasn't nervous at first but when I got told I was going on, the nerves started to kick in, but when I got on the pitch and those nerves were gone.
"I'm in the right place here at Colchester, there's a great future here for me, if I keep performing."
To see the full interviews with Lordon and Donell, head to ColUTickets.com.
On your account dashboard, scroll down to 'Your Streaming Channels', click on the 'CUFC Media' button and watch the latest episode of ColU TV.