Our development squad are back in action this afternoon, a 2.30pm kick-off against Fulham at Motspur Park.

Mark Robinson's men have started the year with back-to-back wins and will be looking to build on the strong performances of late.

One man who has improved especially from an output perspective is the versatile Dion Rankine who has been a key part of Robinson's teams this season.

The dynamic and pacy winger has contributed four goals and two assists this season with his most recent goal coming against Wolverhampton Wanderers in our last outing. He details the secret to his form...

Confidence is key

Rankine said, 'It is a great feeling to score in back-to-back games but if I am honest the biggest factor is confidence and that has come from the manager's faith in me as well as my team-mates who have shown a lot of trust in me.'

He continued by adding that, 'We are playing a lot of good football right now and there is a tremendous energy around the group so hopefully we just carry that on through to the Fulham game and the rest of the season.'

Reverse fixture

In our reverse fixture against Sunday's opponents we were on the wrong side of a 3-0 scoreline. Rankine played in that fixture but is quick to point out that the team had come a long way since that result.

'There was obviously a settling in and adapting period at the beginning of the season and now we go into this game full of confidence, trying to develop as footballers but also trying to see what we can achieve.'

He went on to say that, 'I think last year we were able to build trust in each other from a different perspective as we were fighting relegation but this year as we push near the top of the league we are learning how to beat teams convincingly whilst maintaining maturity in our play.'

Life outside of football

With the demands of an Academy footballer at Chelsea, it is important to also understand our players' motivations outside of the pitch, to see what drives them to be successful and Rankine points to music as his main hobby.

'I really enjoy listening to music for so many different reasons. If there is an excuse for me to drive somewhere I take it, as it gives me a chance to listen to my favourite songs. It helps me relieve stress, calm nerves and just have fun at the same time.

'Even before games it is so important that I get into the zone and music helps with that.'

Our development squad will be looking to make it four wins in a row as they take on a Fulham side who come into this game sitting in fifth having lost two of their last five fixtures.

Academy news

In other Academy news, Harvey Vale has returned from his loan at Hull City and he goes straight back into the development squad. The young midfielder played two Championship games for the the Tigers but injury sidelined the England U-20 captain for a large part of his time there.

Vale has featured for our young Blues this season under Mark Robinson, scoring three goals in his time here before completing his loan move on deadline day last summer.