Chris Mepham said he is enjoying his football right now after featuring in the first team’s behind closed doors friendly against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this week.

The defender, who turned 18 earlier this month, has been a regular for both the Youth Team and Development Squad so far this campaign before making his first team bow in a pair of behind closed doors friendlies in recent weeks against AFC Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur.

Sharing the dressing room with players such as Josh McEachran and Jota was a big boost according to Chris as well as a good learning tool.

Speaking to Bees Player Chris said: “I have been really pleased with my season so far. I have kicked on a lot from last season. That added bit of responsibility has helped me to express myself more and show more confidence. To go from Under-18 football to Under-21 football and a week later to be playing in First Team friendlies you need to be mentally prepared. Being in the same dressing room as first-team players makes you feel good about yourself. Someone like Josh McEachran has played for Chelsea’s first team and being around players like that makes you feel good about yourself. It is also good to see the way that they prepare and motivate themselves in the dressing room.

“The biggest thing for me when you get called up to these friendlies is that it shows you that you are not that far off. When you get the opportunity you need to express yourself, however hard it might be. You will be nervous and you might want to play it safe but you need to express yourself and show the first team manager what you are about.”

Chris has been an almost ever-present for a Youth Team side which has been hit hard by injuries to key, experienced players.

Second-year scholars Seth Owens, Kyjuon Marsh-Brown and Jeremiah Kamanzi have missed the majority of the season so far with Under-16s and first year scholars being drafted in to replace them.

The tall-defender has made 12 appearances for Jon De Souza’s side, scoring once, as they sit fifth in the U18 Professional Development League Two South with 18 points from 15 games.

Chris admits that it has been tough results wise so far but feels that things are on the up as players return and younger players gain valuable experience.

“It has been a good season so far,” said Chris. “We haven’t really got the results that we wanted to so far but I think that things are starting to come together. We got a good result on Saturday against Crystal Palace and things are starting to come together on the training pitch so it is just a matter of time before results start coming again. It has been good for the first-years this season because they have been playing. Last year I had to wait quite a long-time to get my place because there was a lot of competition for places. This year our injury list, which has been unfortunate, has allowed the first-years to step in. Now the second-years are coming back so there is more competition for places.”

After enjoying a promising start to the season Chris wants to maintain his high levels over the coming months whether he is playing in first-team friendlies, Under-21 matches or Under-18 matches.

“I want to keep enjoying my football for the rest of the season,” said Chris. “I feel really confident at the minute and when you are that confident you need to try and maintain it for as long as possible. Most players have times when they are really high and times when they are really low. Playing regular football and trying to play as many games with the Under-21s as possible will just further my development. Playing above the Youth Team is a massive confidence booster and when you come back down to the Youth Team you feel at the top of your game. You have to treat every game the same, you can’t just suddenly turn it on because it is a first-team game. You need to play well in the Youth Team games to show everyone that you deserve to go up.”

Bees Player subscribers can watch the full interview with Chris below