NOAH Chilvers says he is hoping to push for a Colchester United first-team squad spot after a productive loan spell.

The talented 19-year-old has just returned from a fruitful stint at Bath City, where he impressed in National League South.

Chilvers made a positive impression for the Romans, before their season ended prematurely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Prior to joining Bath, the midfielder featured for the U's first team on three occasions this season, including their memorable Carabao Cup win at Crystal Palace last August where he struck the dramatic all-important winning spot-kick in the shoot-out.

Now, along with the rest of the U's squad, Chilvers is waiting for the green light to return to training at Florence Park - and is hoping to make an impression.

Chilvers 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 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, a club that I've been at for so many years now."

Chilvers made 23 appearances for Bath after initially joining them on loan from Colchester last October, scoring twice.

"The standard of football at that level is very good," said Chilvers, who has been at the U's since he was eight years old.

"A lot of the players who I've been coming up against at that level are either on loan from bigger clubs or older players who have been in the league before.

"I've played against my former Colchester team-mates Dom Vose and Billy Clifford, who were in Colchester's first team when I was coming up through the Academy.

"It's a really good level of football and I think it's helped me big time.

"It's been a big learning curve for me.

"Bath isn't just up the road; it was a big commitment to go there.

"I'd go there on a Thursday for training and would stay there in a hotel on the Thursday and Friday night, ready for the game on the Saturday so it was a bit different to Colchester in the academy, where I'd normally be meeting the lads on the morning of the match.

"At first, I was at Bath with Ollie Kensdale but then I was on my own there and making sure that I was getting ready for the games in the right way and one which was completely alien for me.

"It was a very good experience.

"The Bath manager Jerry Gill has been very good with me and has been sending reports to Colchester on my performances after every match.

"I've had a few ups and downs but I think that's a good thing for my development.

"I don't think it would have benefited me in the long term had it all been great, all of the time."

Chilvers made the national headlines earlier this season when he came off the bench to score Colchester's winning penalty at Crystal Palace.

The talented teenager, who made his senior debut for Colchester as a substitute in their 3-0 triumph over Newport County in March 2019, says it was an unforgettable experience.

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 that gives young players opportunities to show what they can do and where the coaches believe in you."

Chilvers has been busy keeping fit with running and cycling and also kicking a football with his older brother, during his time away from the U's training ground.

He is hoping to return to training with the rest of the Colchester squad soon and is hoping that the League Two season will resume.

"I've had the taste of it and we're getting towards the business end of the season now," added Chilvers, who previously captained the U’s under-18 side.

"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."