Blues boss Kieran McKenna hopes young forward Tommy Taylor being a part of the senior squad for Monday night’s FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest will make him hungrier to keep progressing.
Chelmsford-born Taylor, 19, has been with the academy since he was a 10-year-old and signed a pro deal in October 2023, which is up this summer.
Having been the standout performer in John McGreal’s U21s side, usually playing in a number 10 role, despite physically having the build of a number nine, the versatile Taylor was included as a sub at the City Ground on Monday night.
"We feel like out of that group, he was the one who, I’m not going to say deserved it because it's a group that all work very hard in their own ways, but he's performed well, he's trained well when he comes with us in training, he's a good young professional and a good goalscorer as well at the level.
"It was good to have him with us the other night. We would have loved for it to have been a really special night for him and it almost was, even though he didn't get on the pitch.
"But if he had been around a winning team of an FA Cup last 16 tie in a shootout, it would have been a great night for him.
"But I'm sure he learned a lot from being around a game like that and a pressurised situation like that, and I'm sure it'll make him hungrier to keep progressing.”