Alex Gilbey’s impressive rise through Colchester United’s academy ranks has culminated in him earning himself a move to the Championship, after the midfielder completed his switch to Wigan Athletic this week.

The former Gilberd School pupil’s eye-catchig performances for the U’s in what was a season of struggle for the club in League One have resulted in the 21-year-old signing a three-year deal with the Latics, earning the right to show off his skills on a bigger stage.

Gilbey has grown in stature with every year that has passed since making his senior Colchester United debut as a fresh-faced teenager in a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy clash at Northampton Town, back in 2012.

It was a memorable first senior game for the former U’s youth-team product, although not necessarily for all of the right reasons.

With the U’s leading 1-0 at Sixfields, Gilbey was sent on by boss Joe Dunne as a half-time substitute for Marcus Bean but ended up giving away a penalty from which the Cobblers scored as the visitors fell to a 2-1 defeat to bow out of the competition.

It was something of an inauspicious start for the talented midfielder but it was clear even in from his 45-minute performance alone that he had something about him.

Having risen through the U’s academy ranks, Gilbey is very much a player made in Colchester.

Even at under-18 and under-21 level, he showed the kind of leadership qualities required to be a success at senior level.

Following his debut in 2012, the midfielder had to wait until the following month to make his next first-team appearance, coming on as a substitute again in the U’s 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Oldham Athletic.

Gilbey went on to make a further two appearances for Colchester before going out on loan to Newport County, helping Justin Edinburgh’s side clinch promotion to the Football League thanks to a play-off final win over Wrexham at Wembley.

He returned to the U’s full of confidence following that successful loan spell and made nearly 40 league and cup appearances for the club the following season, scoring his first-ever professional goal in a 4-2 defeat at Wolves.

Gilbey continued to impress for Colchester the following season, the majority of which was spent under the management of Tony Humes and he walked off with the club’s Young Player of the Year award after helping them survive in League One by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the season.

Humes’ reward to Gilbey for his efforts was to name as vice-captain to Chris Porter, for the 2015-16 campaign which Gilbey started with a bang with a fine strike on the opening day against Blackpool.

And although Humes eventually departed as first-team boss in November, to be replaced by Kevin Keen, the young midfielder continued to lead by example.

He captained Colchester on a number of occasions in the absence of Porter and Owen Garvan and grew in confidence as the season went on, despite the club’s perilous league position.

He scored some spectacular goals for the U’s, including stunning strikes against the likes of Blackpool, Doncaster Rovers and his new club, Wigan.

It was ultimately not enough to keep Colchester in League One but Gilbey earned the consolation of scooping the club’s Player of the Year award for his efforts.

And after he rejected the offer of a new deal at the Community Stadium, he agreed a deal to join the Latics after the two clubs agreed an undisclosed fee to end his nine-year spell at the U’s.