Two seasons ago, as Chelsea were ruling the Premier League, young Charlie Colkett emerged as one of the premier prospects in the Chelsea Academy. The 18-year-old captained the club's victorious FA Youth Cup side, and dazzled for both the club's U19 UEFA Youth League-winning team and the U21 side that ran out of steam in the final few weeks of the U21 Premier League season. Colkett's well deserved reward for his fantastic season was a spot on the club's post-season tour of Thailand and Australia, where he started one of the games and helped set up a Chelsea goal. It was an experience he called amazing, great, and incredible.
Last season didn't quite live up to the expectations set by 2014-15.
A pre-season ankle injury kept him out the first two months, and that, combined with another injury in January and, not to mention, concerns over a contract extension gave a rather uncertain feeling to the whole season. Colkett eventually signed a new three-year deal in April, just a few days after he had captained the U19s to back-to-back UEFA Youth League victories as well as getting named to his first ever Premier League matchday squad (though he has yet to make his debut).
A surprisingly subdued summer followed as Colkett was overlooked for first-team tours and seemed to be stuck in the mire of reserves football, at a level that was surely well below his abilities by now. On the final day of the transfer window, he and fellow prospect Jake Clarke-Salter joined Bristol Rovers who had just been beaten by Chelsea the week prior in the League Cup second round. Rovers may only be in League One, and thus a tad bit disappointing as far as a loan destination is concerned, but as we've seen in the EFL (err... Checkatrade?) Trophy, even lower league football is played by men as opposed to boys and for Chelsea youths, there is much to learn in that regard.
In any case, all that was a rather long-winded way to get to this highlight, from Rovers' 3-3 draw away to MK Dons on Wednesday, which features a ridiculously filthy backheel from Colkett for Bristol's second goal.
That touch, though! @Official_BRFC's @OfficialColkz. https://t.co/twX2w0o8aC
— EFL (@EFL) October 19, 2016
WOW!
Both Colkett (7 app's, 2 goals, 2 assists) and Clarke-Salter (2 app's) are set to stay in Bristol for the whole season and hopefully will help Rovers push for promotion to the Championship. They are currently a point adrift of the playoff places, but with a game in hand.