The year is 2018, and like aspiring players in our Academy, Chalobah has been working hard at Cobham and preparing himself for a first-team opportunity should it arise.

Having joined the club as an Under-9, winning the FA Youth Cup, UEFA Youth League and much more on his journey through the ranks, the versatile centre-back is well-versed on what it takes to lift silverware in blue.

Meanwhile, the first team has progressed to the final of the world’s oldest domestic cup competition and booked a Wembley showdown against Manchester United. Having training regularly with the senior squad during the second half of the campaign, Chalobah enjoyed a front row seat as he watched his team-mates march towards that second consecutive FA Cup final.

But then the 18-year-old received a call-up he had dreamt of.

‘Andreas Christensen got injured the day before the final, and I got told I was in the squad,’ the 26-year-old recalls. ‘All I thought was that I was going to sit in the stands and watch the boys, but I got into the dressing room and saw my name on the board. I was on the bench. It was amazing.

‘That day was my first time at Wembley Stadium. I remember calling my family – I was so excited that I was on the bench.’

Selected as part of a Chelsea match-day squad for the first time, Chalobah soaked up the moment.

‘Walking out for the warm-ups at Wembley was like a dream,’ he continued. ‘It was my first time at Wembley and it was such a great experience, packed full of fans against a top opposition in Manchester United.’

And, importantly, Trev felt more than ready for an occasion as grandiose as the FA Cup final, thanks to his own hard work and the support of his team-mates.

‘Because I had been training with the first-team during the second half of the season, it wasn’t so daunting – I felt ready,’ he smiles, reflecting on a final settled by Eden Hazard’s spot-kick.

‘It was a great moment. It was my first senior medal and trophy, and it was such a great experience to share it with the likes of Toni Rudiger and Eden Hazard.

‘Rudiger was great with me that season in particular. He helped me a lot, and I still talk to him to this day. He’s been an important part of my journey. The likes of Eden Hazard and Olivier Giroud all helped as well.’

It's that memory, among others, that Chalobah will carry with him when we go head-to-head with Charlton at the Valley this weekend, under our new head coach, Liam Rosenior.

‘The FA Cup holds such a special place in my heart,’ he said. ‘That was my first trophy, and you never forget that.

‘It will be a special game on Saturday against Charlton. It’s another chance to progress in a trophy that we would like to win. And with the new head coach, it’s an opportunity to show our style, our way of playing and get back to winning ways - no matter what team we’re playing.

‘Liam has spoken about what he’s about, what he likes to see, and what he wants from us in terms of how he wants to play, and it’s an exciting time. The players are up for it.’