With Football League hostilities set to resume this weekend, we test the readiness of each of the Capital’s representatives ahead of the new campaign. Part 1 takes us to the Cherry Red Records Stadium to see how AFC Wimbledon are shaping up for their third straight season back in the Football League.
2013/14 Preview: AFC
Wimbledon
The re-emergence of Joe Kinnear among the football fraternity
this summer must have conjured up mixed emotions for any Dons supporter. Twenty
years ago next month, Kinnear’s ‘Crazy Gang’ were embarking upon a season that
would see them finish in their joint highest ever league position of 6th and
the coach collecting the Manager of the Year award (his only such recognition,
contrary to recent claims).
Now - following a relegation-threatened end to a decade of resurrection,
precipitated by another of free fall that began with Kinnear’s heart attack and
gathered pace with the club’s subsequent plunge down the divisions, culminating
in its relocating and re-branding as the Milton Keynes Dons that forced the fans
to hit reboot - everyone’s favourite ‘Phoenix club’ are unlikely to be found harking
back to reaching those giddy early 90’s heights but, rather, simply craving a
little stability.
Current incumbent to the AFC hot seat is Neal Ardley,
formerly a feature of Kinnear’s swashbuckling side. As he enters his first full
season at the helm, the one-time Wimbledon trainee will likely tow the official
party line of looking no higher than a position of safety, particularly in
light of having the league’s leakiest defence last season and escaping only on
the final day at the expense of Barnet.
However, the Dons approach a tough early schedule, starting with
Saturday’s opener against Torquay at Plainmoor and followed by a midweek trip to
face Millwall in the Capital One Cup First Round, with a plethora of fresh
faces and a reinvigorated spirit buoyed by a pre-season which had seen them go
five games unbeaten domestically with only three goals conceded before a
disappointing 0-3 reverse in Monza at the weekend.
The close-season has seen a hefty turnover in playing
personnel, with no fewer than nineteen first team squad members released from
Kingsmeadow, including Chelsea youth product Warren Cummings, while fourteen returned
having only been in South-West London on loan, among them legendary keeper Neil
Sullivan, with a mixture of youth and experience having since been brought in to
work under Ardley and his assistant Neil Cox, once of Watford.
Management have clearly deemed defence to be the area of the
team most in need of repair. As a result, Ross Worner, 23, has moved from
Aldershot to wear the number one jersey, while 41-year-old Ashley Bayes has
been recruited from Basingstoke Town to become the new player-goalkeeping
coach.
In keeping with their ‘wombling’ past, use has been found on
Jack Goodchild Way for 24-year-old left back, Callum Kennedy, who has joined
after being released by Scunthorpe United, as have two former Gillingham stoppers;
right back Barry Fuller, 28, and centre-half Andy Frampton, 33; after similar
fates befell them in Kent on the back of the Gills’ promotion to League One.
New contracts were awarded to club captain and
longest-serving stalwart Alan Bennett and to 25-year-old forward Luke Moore, as
well as to energetic attacker Charlie Strutton, who recovered from a lengthy lay-off
to ably assist the Dons’ latest survival bid. Midfielder George Francomb’s move
from Norwich City was also made permanent, utility man Chris Arthur signed from
Havant and Waterlooville and Frenchman Kevin Sainte-Luce was offered a 12-month
extension, while Burnley winger George Porter’s services were secured until next
May.
Reinforcements may still be required to support 15-goal top
scorer, Jack Midson, the last of whose efforts kept the club up two months ago,
in the striking department. Byron Harrison was second in the charts with 9 but
has since been released while third-top scorer Paul McCallum, with 4, has
arrived back at parent club West Ham United. Gary Alexander also returned to
Crawley upon completing his successful loan spell. Gillingham front man Adebayo
Akinfenwa and Rotherham’s Danny Hylton had been touted as potential
replacements but allegedly could not agree terms.
With this in mind, the Kingston-upon-Thames outfit have already
signed Charlie Sheringham, who continued his journey from apprentice city
trader through non-league to following in his father Teddy’s footsteps as a professional
with a stint at Bournemouth last term, in which he made just six appearances
but impressed Ardley enough to invest in his stock last month.
Ardley explained: “Charlie has scored a lot of goals at a
lower level.
“I feel that he deserves a chance to prove that he can score
goals in the Football League. I think he can certainly do that and he will do
very well for us.
“He also scored [once] when he moved to Bournemouth, but a
bad foot injury put him out for a while.
“Bournemouth obviously saw something in him, but they got
promoted to the Championship and are moving in a different direction.”
With their new 4,850 capacity stadium in effect from the outset
for the first time this season, AFC Wimbledon have been on an upward curve for
some time but the danger is that a third season of struggle could see that
curve straighten up and eventually flatline.
Yet, despite the disappointment of losing the ‘Dons derby’ to
a last minute winner in Milton Keynes in January, one feels the fans will very
much hope for their team to push on this term. They appear to have an exciting and
enterprising squad developing under the guidance of an inspirational young
manager who is steeped in the traditions held dear to a fan base that has
proved itself to be one of the most faithful in the country.
With that level of infrastructure to fall back on, finally a
season of quiet fulfilment should not be beyond them.
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