Gilchrist became the latest player to make his Chelsea debut in our last match at Stamford Bridge. He replaced Benoit Badiashile late in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace to help us hold our narrow lead through the tense finish to the game.

Although short, it was a memorable introduction from the defender who has regularly captained our Under-21s side this season. He put in a passionate and brave performance as we secured victory.

Recalling the moments leading up to his first senior appearance for the club he has called home since Under-11s, the excitement remains clear in Gilchrist’s voice as he picks up the story.

‘Sometimes I wouldn’t be sent out to warm up much in the second half, but I felt I was out warming up a bit more than normal, so I was thinking this could be it,’ explained Alfie.

‘The longer it stayed at 1-1, Alex [Matos] and I were looking at each other thinking “maybe this is not the game we’re going to be coming on”. Then we saw Jesus [Perez, assistant head coach] running down the line and realised what it meant. We looked at each other again as if to say “Which one of us is it?”.

‘It was me, so I sprinted back to the bench and got changed. I was on the side ready to come on, but then there was a long wait for VAR when we got a penalty. So I had to warm up a bit more until they called me over again.

‘I was standing there watching as we scored the penalty and waiting for the moment. My mouth had gone dry so I kept drinking water. I was just trying to prepare myself.’

That delay lasted more than six minutes, with the ball stubbornly refusing to go out of play after Noni Madueke had been brought down in the box. Eventually, though, it crossed the line, VAR did its work, and Madueke put us in the lead from the spot.

Gilchrist finally made his bow in the 90th minute. However, with nine more added, the game suddenly changed from Chelsea needing to push forward for a winner, to needing to hold a narrow lead until the final whistle.

Not that it bothered Gilchrist. Having worked for years to get to this point, what’s another few minutes? It could easily have added to a young debutant’s nerves, but for the 20-year-old defender, the excitement and adrenaline had already banished any jitters.

‘The moment I came on was amazing,’ he beamed. ‘My first touch was a good tackle and my second was just a smash. That’s what you’ve got to do, make sure the first thing you do is positive, and from there, you hope, it will take care of itself.

‘As soon as I put the big challenge in I just heard the whole crowd erupt so I just got up and went again to try and get it, make another tackle or block.

‘I’d been on the bench a few times this year and when it did come to the moment when he called me over, it was just like “this is it”. You always have to prepare and have the right mindset to be ready just in case you do have the chance to come on. I just wanted to take my chance and I was full of energy.’

The trust shown in Gilchrist from head coach Mauricio Pochettino was also clear. This wasn’t a few minutes at the end of a comfortable victory, just to give a young player some safe minutes for experience.

This was a Premier League fixture with the points very much still in the balance, and a defender being brought on with a clear job to do in protecting those points.

It was much the same when he came on to make his second senior appearance three days later, shortly after Luton Town had scored twice to reduce our lead at Kenilworth Road to a single goal.

‘Against Luton, it was a tough period in the game, we’d just conceded two goals and then they brought me on. It was a similar situation to Palace and I made another good tackle which turned out to be the last kick of the game, so that was good as well.

‘I can’t be thankful enough to the manager for giving me the opportunity. He said “well done” after the game, but I said to him “this is my dream come true”. He was happy for me and told me to do the same again next time. To just keep going.’

The way Gilchrist handled those two intimidating situations seemed almost fearless, given his inexperience at this level. That wasn’t always the case, though, as he admits it took him time to relax and stop holding back when he first started training with the senior squad last season.

‘It’s just confidence and not being scared,’ he explained. ‘Sometimes as a young player you’ll come over and you don’t want to risk hurting the other players because you think if you injure someone you’ll never be asked back across to train with them again.

‘That means you can’t show what you’re all about. Well, you can, but you feel like you can’t. But sometimes that’s what the manager likes, a bit of aggression and character.

‘I’d probably say that changed for me since the start of this season. When I saw Alex doing it I realised I can do it as well and it will be all right!’

In both his appearances so far, although relatively short, there has been no missing the passion in his game, whether it was that fierce challenge on Jeffrey Schlupp against Crystal Palace, the way he urged on his more experienced team-mates after every 50-50, or celebrating with his arms aloft as he punted the ball upfield after ending Luton’s final attack of the match with a perfectly timed tackle on Alfie Doughty.

Having seen the strength of that passion on the pitch when given his chance to represent the Blues in the Premier League, it is perhaps no surprise to learn it has been developed over many years and even generations, as he was born in nearby Kingston to a family of Chelsea supporters.

‘My family are massive Chelsea fans. For years I’ve been going to Stamford Bridge and thinking this is where I want to play. So being on the pitch was a dream come true. It’s crazy to think about it, after coming to my first game with my dad when I was about seven.

‘When you’re that young you’re just playing football for the love of it. As you get older, you’re still playing for the love of it, but as well you can see you’re getting closer and closer and when that moment does come it’s just amazing. My mum and dad were in the crowd for my debut as well, so they got to enjoy it.’

There was even a note of congratulations from the Chelsea player he had grown up idolising…

‘I speak to John Terry quite a bit because he worked with me in the Academy. He messaged me straight away after the game saying he was so happy for me. That’s my idol growing up, so being able to play for the club he played for when I was watching him all the time is just massive for me.’

However, although he has taken an important step by earning a Premier League debut, the young defender knows it is just the first of many in what he hopes will be a long senior career with the club he grew up cheering on from the Stamford Bridge stands.

‘It’s everything I’ve been working towards since I started playing football really, but as soon as that dream’s come true, I just want more. I just want to keep going and kicking on as much as I can.’