Cobham Next Gen have enjoyed a promising start to 2026/27, having won their last three league games and with EFL Trophy progression still on the cards. The squad have been flying high, with six players finding the back of the net already.

As a result of Chelsea’s superb form, three players were nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for September. Reggie Watson, Chizaram Ezenwata and new signing Leo Black were among the eight nominees.

The 3-1 victory over local rivals Fulham before the pause for international football extended CNG's winning streak to three matches, leaving the Blues with nine points and in fourth position.

Reflecting on the opening stages of the campaign, Hudson said: ‘It’s been a very positive start for the boys. The longer we’ve had the CNG group together, the more cohesive the performances have become.

‘Our performance against Fulham was very strong. The boys stayed strong, committed and focused on the game plan. A couple of goals were outstanding team goals which was very pleasing for us. The group are coming together with each performance, so long may that continue.’

The CNG squad features several younger players stepping up from Under-18s. Hudson revealed the reason behind this is due to our ‘fantastic talent that we want to be push and deserve to be pushed’.

The head coach added: ‘They are learning very fast and the longer they play at this level, the better they’ll become and the quicker they will learn. We’re really proud of how much talent we have in the building. They have a good balance of talent and hard work.’

This season, the September and October international breaks have been merged into one 16-day period, running from 21 September to 6 October. Seven of our CNG players are currently away with their countries, representing England across the Under-17, Under-18 and Under-19 age groups, in addition to Scotland Under-19s.

Hudson described the extended break as a great opportunity to focus on the personal development of each player.

‘Some of our players have gone on international duty and we're proud of that and we want to support that as much as we can,' said Hudson.

'The players that haven't, it also gives them an opportunity for them to train with the first team, so there’s a wide range of opportunities.'

After the international break, CNG have four fixtures ahead of them in three different competitions. First up is our final EFL Trophy group match against Reading. Chelsea are currently third in Southern Group C, following a penalty-shootout victory against Bristol Rovers and a narrow 2-1 defeat at the hands of Wycombe Wanderers.

Previewing that vital cup clash against The Royals, Hudson said: ‘The first two performances in that competition have been strong. If we can take the learnings from the first two matches and put them together then hopefully we can get a positive result against Reading. We need to win to get out of the group.

‘It's very exciting because we have so many different challenges during that month and the variety of the games program pushes young players in different ways.’

As well as that meeting with Reading, the young Blues face Stoke and Liverpool in PL2, before a first European game in the UEFA Youth League at the end of October, in either Estonia or the Faroe Islands depending who prevails in the tie between Flora Tallinn and Havnar Boltfelag.

Our head coach revealed that the players are relishing the opportunity to play abroad, labelling it a ‘phenomenal experience’.

‘The boys love the UEFA Youth League. It’s such a different experience that we can challenge ourselves against teams from all over the world. Our objective is to get through our qualifying rounds and enter the last 32.’

It’s early days in the 2026/27 season, but the Blues have made an encouraging start. Across all competitions, we’ve scored 16 goals in six matches.

As we approach the end of the international break, the focus moves to the upcoming matches. Chelsea are looking to climb even higher in PL2, and progress in the EFL Trophy and UEFA Youth League.

Hudson said: ‘There are going to be some highs, there are going to be some lows. There are some days that we've had more recently where things are starting to come together.

'My biggest message to them is they all have targets, goals that they want to achieve, and that’s brilliant. The way they're going to achieve those individual goals is by us being the best team that we can.’

Show your support!

There is still time to secure tickets for the EFL Trophy group stage clash against Reading at the Select Car Leasing Stadium. The match kicks off at 7pm on Tuesday 13 October. Chelsea fans wishing to attend the match will need to register for an account and then purchase tickets within block R31-R32 in the South Stand.

Tickets for Reading vs Cobham Next Gen are available via this link

Supporters can also watch the game via Sky Sports.