Here we are on the final day of the 2022/23 season. We finish 21st place in the 4th division. Safe only from the bottomless pit of the National League by a few precious points and because somehow 3 teams were worse than us. We played 46, won 11, drew 15 and lost 20. And I watched all of it.
Here is my player by player end of season review. I’ve watched every home game at Plough Lane this year, and been away half a dozen times. Other games I’ve had to watch on the iFollow. The only game I missed was the 3-3 draw and loss on penalties to Plymouth in the Pizza Cup, but otherwise I’ve watched every minute of this campaign, most of it in person. Opinions on footballers are subjective, and here are mine:
Nik Tzanev
An improved season for Tzanev, but occasional moments of madness are still present in his game. Always a good shot stopper, Nik has gotten better at commanding his box and claiming crosses, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. His big weaknesses are his kicking, which has been very poor at times, and his tendency to self-sabotage a couple of times a season. Plus, goalmouth scrambles always seem to go against him, and you get plenty of those in League Two.
I feel like I’ll be typing this sentiment a lot during this season review: I really like this player. I want him to turn it around so badly. I feel like Nik has a good relationship with the fans, and I’ve seen him signing stuff for kids etc. By all accounts he seems like a decent bloke and I don’t like being negative about him, but… When you have a win ratio of only 28% in a low quality league, you have to have a serious look at what needs to improve.
Next year: Tans is an acceptable quality League Two goalkeeper. If his kicking and consistency improved, he’d probably be playing at a better club. However, I think that a new goalie is required next season. When you’re trying to reverse 2 years of poor results, a strong spine to the team is essential, and a keeper who can occasionally let you down with lapses in concentration and can’t kick straight isn’t ideal. I’d like to see Tzanev as our second choice between the sticks next year. Rumour has it that he is off to be the second choice goalie at a Championship club, which if true, good luck to him.
Overall score: 3/10
Chris Gunter
A player so popular elsewhere that he gets picked for Wales just because he’s a great guy to have around, rather than because he’s a first choice right back. World Cup star Mr Cymru looked like a great signing on paper at the start of the season, we all knew that he might only play half the time and miss winter games by going to Qatar, but we were crying out for a seasoned professional to come and help the young players develop and to lift morale. Sadly, it hasn’t worked out this way.
It started well, and I fondly remember a fan video of Gunts and Ayoub waiting on the station platform on the way back from an away game early in the season. Wombles on the opposite platform are chanting the “we’ve got super Johnnie Jackson” song and the two players are obviously pleased, and a little shy, about having their names included. Sadly, “Gunter at the back, Ayoub in attack” didn’t work out as planned this season.
Seeing former Premier League player, chin-up Euros hero, and Gareth Bale’s best mate Chris Gunter make his superstitious run over to the corner flag at the start of the first few games of the season made me feel very proud. When my Liverpool and Man United supporting mates asked me how Wimbledon were doing, I could say “we’ve got someone who you might have heard of for once!” But since his sending off at Mansfield (the first of our 16 games where we took the lead and went on to lose) he hasn’t lived up to the hype.
Fans were angry that he went away to coach with Wales, missing Barrow away, but I honestly think that was a storm in a teacup and blown out of proportion. English fans might not appreciate how much Wales means to players like Gunter, and I can’t blame him for putting his country first. He’s the second most capped Wales player of all time (108, just 3 short of his mate Bale in first place) and he had it written into his contract that he would be given time away if his international side needed him. We wouldn’t expect Beckham or Rooney to put us before the England team, and that is the sort of player Gunter is for Wales. It’s not like he was our first choice right back at the time anyway, with Ogundere a much better pick.
Next year: Gunter has already announced his retirement, which frees up some space on the wage bill and gets him out of the toxic mess that our club has become for him. I’ve never felt the hate for him personally, so wish him good fortune coaching with Wales. Sorry that he didn’t feel the love at Plough Lane that his other clubs and international side enjoyed. He worse the captain’s armband for the closing minutes of the Grimsby game, so at least Woodyard isn’t our least popular skipper this year.
Overall score: 2/10
Lee Brown
Brownie was brought in during the January transfer window last year, and fans hoped for a no-nonsense professional who was going to add some grit to our young squad. Lee has delivered on this promise at least, and is the sort of experienced pro you need when times are tough. With 10 Lee Browns on the pitch we wouldn’t be getting bullied by any League Two bruisers, and he’s a good player at backing up his teammates if they ever get into a scrap.
The downside of Lee’s game is that he does get beaten by pacy wingers, he’s not that tall so can be beaten in the air, and his dead ball deliveries are really inconsistent. From open play his left foot is surprisingly cultured, and he can often spot and pick out a forward’s run. He’s also useful to play at the back when you have someone younger and more brittle ahead of him. Ethan Chislett can be lightweight at times and benefits from having someone a bit tougher backing him up. Brown played for England C early in his career, and I can see that he does have an underrated quality to his game, but sadly for us we have him at the tail end of his career where his powers are on the wane.
Some people can be dismissive of his shithousery, but I am all for it. We need a few more wily pros in the team in order to compete in League Two, and while he can be a bit embarrassing at times, Brown is useful for winding up opposition players when we’re going toe-to-toe with teams who might try to bully us. I’m always surprised that Brown isn’t more of a fans favourite, given how much some people love the idea of Wimbledon returning to a Crazy Gang era ethos.
Next year: With Jack Currie almost certainly being sold (Bristol City?) Lee Brown should be retained next year until we can find a replacement left back, and to fill in at centre back when needed. He’s a good back up and squad player, and reportedly is popular amongst the core group of the team. There are rumours going round that I can’t verify that Brown was drunk and disrespectful during the end of season dinner, and that may be curtains for him at the club. Walking round the pitch with his family in tow at full time against Tranmere also may be an indicator that he’s hanging up his boots or going elsewhere. I’ve always been a fan, but I’m aware that this isn’t the majority opinion.
Overall score: 5/10
Alex Woodyard
At his best he is an experienced, battling midfield general, screening the defence and winning tight contests in the middle of the park. At his worst he is a fed up curmudgeon, watching on with a scowl as his fragile team crumbles around him. Woody is not popular with fans and is often namechecked as a player who needs replacing, but there must be something there that we can’t see, given that Robbo, Bowen and Jackson have always picked him when fit and retained him as captain.
I’ve noticed on attacking corner routines that it is up to Woody to challenge the goalie, which he does well, and I’ve seen him be the physical equal to players a head taller than him, but I’ve also seen him with his hands on his hips looking beaten when we go a goal down, or jog off down the tunnel without acknowledgement of the fans. In these tough times we are crying out for a tubthumping captain who leads by example, but Woody remains something of an enigma, which has made it hard to endear himself to fans.
He’s good in a tight spot and at fighting for second balls, and alongside Ethan Chislett he would be a strong pick if I were running a 5 a side team on a small pitch, but in many games this year it seems he is easily bypassed by attacking play. His appearance on 9 Years TV suggests that he wants to reach out to fans, but he is not naturally suited to the traditional role of captain that fans expect to see.
Next year: I believe he’s still got a contract to run down, so it’s likely he’ll still be here. However, he would not be much missed if he did decide to leave, and I expect too much has happened now for him to win back the fan’s favour. I am told by those in the know that he is just as frustrated with poor performances, last years’ relegation and our current league position as anyone else, though you wouldn’t guess it from some of his post match behaviour. If I were picking the team then Woody wouldn’t be in it, and I feel that letting some of the senior players go is one way to break the losing culture of the squad. It feels wrong to criticise the captain of the team, and I think it’s fair to say that Woody takes a lot of the blame for the club’s failings on his shoulders, but I can’t ignore that he’s failed to rally his troops for 2 seasons now, and the buck has to stop somewhere.
Overall score: 3/10
Will Nightingale
One of our own. Ever popular Will hasn’t been available for most of the season, and his injury record has made some fans question whether giving him a new 3 year contract was a good idea. The heart of defence was our most inconsistently manned position (see my previous blog post on this for how many defensive partnerships we’ve played this year) and maybe we wouldn’t have been in such a dire position if we had Nightingale available for more of the games. We certainly would have scored a few more corners too.
Dangerous on attacking free kick routines, Will also likes to occasionally get his head down and run with the ball, and can be effective when he gains momentum striding into the midfield. He is inconsistent though, and certainly has a mistake in him. Those who read the game better than I do have pointed out that Will can be easily dragged out of position by clever opposition strikers. He’s also not the quickest player in the world, but as League Two centre backs go, who is? In an ideal world I think we’d see Will or PK paired with a more cerebral, ball playing centre back. A calm presence with good passing range like Riley Towler would have been a great foil for Will if only we could have hung on to him for longer.
It’s hard to give Will a good end of year score, because as much as I love seeing him on the pitch and singing his name, he hasn’t been available for long stretches and then has come back into the team at a time where we’re spiralling to consecutive losses.
Next year: A defensive duo of Will and PK didn’t get to play together this season, as they both became injured in tandem, but both should be competing for a centre back spot next year. Will’s long contract and stature within the club means he is probably the most certain player to still be on the books next season. There are some fans who would like to see him be made captain, though I’m not sure his character and fitness record make him a good choice for this.
Overall score: 3/10.
George Marsh
Another player who seems totally unreadable to the fans. Does he give a shit? Or is he clocking in and out to collect his wages with one eye on where he might get a job next year? I honestly have no idea. Am I being harsh here, given that George Marsh hasn’t been able to get a regular run in the first team to show us what he is made of?
He’s done a job at right back a few times this season, and that suggests that he is a good professional who the manager can rely on to be played out of position. He’s also made plenty of appearances off the bench, which must be frustrating for him to come into games that we’re already floundering in.
I like that Marsh seems to always try, and that he has no qualms about being a fairly short guy having to barge his way into the middle of some very physical League Two midfield wars of attrition. Unlike Assal, Maghoma or McCormick before him, I never feel like Marsh has any risk of losing his head and picking up a needless card or giving away too many dangerous free kicks against us. I also can’t recall him ever passing forward with much creative intent, and it can be frustrating to watch him play a pass sideways or back when we need to be hitting teams on the counter.
We don’t have the players to patiently break down teams or stifle them with possession, and I imagine George Marsh would be a great defensive midfield anchor if this were different. I like the idea that Marsh obtained his footballing ability by wishing on a cursed monkey paw, with the hidden catch of the wish being that he would be gifted with tidy football skills, but bound by the curse to never be allowed to pass the ball any further forward than his own half of the pitch.
Next year: Marsh is 24 now, and deserves to be enjoying the best years of his career, not languishing on the bench. Apparently he is one of the highest earners (perhaps the highest earner) at the club, which makes it even more ridiculous that he isn’t a staple of the first eleven. Another player who I like and really want to do well, but also can’t help but feel is time to move on. I’d love him to find some form, fulfil his potential and rub this scathing review of his season back in my face, but I can’t see it happening.
Overall score: 3/10
Saikou Janneh
Don’t blame it on the sunshine. Don’t blame it on the moonlight. Don’t blame it on the good times. Blame it on Janneh.
Fan’s punchbag Janneh has had a rough time of it in my opinion. When results turned sour he was the fall guy, the man we could all groan at when we saw him warming up on the touchline. The player we could sarcastically applaud when his feet got tangled up and he misplaced a basic touch. It can’t have been easy for him, since smashing in goals on loan at Torquay United in 2018/19 he hasn’t really found a home, having been moved on loan to Newport (1 goal) then Shrewsbury (no goals) before being sold by parent club Bristol City to Cambridge, where he has scored 1 in 10 appearances. He’s only a young player at 23 years old, and it must be distressing to see his promising fledgling career tumbling down the leagues.
What I see here is a player who wants to be loved. The way he celebrated in front of the South end when we scored the second goal against Barrow showed more love for the club than your average loanee, and when he was later subbed off and headed on the long walk around the pitch, he looked very hopeful as he applauded fans around the pitch and on his way to the dugout.
He has a poor touch at times, and scarpers around in an ungainly way that looks like a strong slide tackle would snap him clean in half, but he is quick, and has a desire to get forward that shows a bravery in his game. He has improved in the last few games of the season, notably away at Stevenage where he was useful from the wing.
Next year: If no one else wants Saikou then I would be happy to see him signed up at Wimbledon, though I expect many fans would rather see the back of him. I don’t think he’s an automatic starter at League Two level, but he is a useful player to have coming off the bench to run at tired defenders. Cambridge may want to hang on to him, and his wages may be high given that he started his career at a Championship club.
Overall score: 4/10
Harry Pell
“I’ll rile ‘em up” said Harry, looking cheekily into the on-pitch camera lens at full time. Then he turned away and ran towards the home goal, leaping up and banging his chest as the South end erupted. This guy has a better connection with the fans than almost any other player, except maybe Jack Currie and Ali.
A midfield menace at this level: strong, tall, an eye for goal, and well versed in the dark arts. Pell is just as likely to crunch someone in a 50-50 challenge as he is to fall to the ground clutching his face if someone brushes past his shirt sleeves. A proper League Two shithouse and the player opposition fans most love to hate. “That Pell…” I heard an Orient fan say to his mate after the game as we walked back to the station in East London “I’d sign him just to play him in the reserves and end his career, I hate him”.
Harry hasn’t been able to keep injury free this season, and is the biggest miss in my opinion when we don’t have him on the pitch. He is a leader, experienced at this level, and a big presence on the pitch. He and Lee Brown knew each other as children, and their naughty kid at the back of the bus demeanour has remained into their 30s. The rare combination of being tough on the pitch, and being able to play with a smile on his face and enjoy winding up the opposition seems like a really good fit at a club like Wimbledon. At the end of the day football is supposed to be entertainment, and Pell’s antics are always good value.
Next year: Pell would be my choice as captain if I was picking the team. He’s still got another year on his contract and I’m looking forward to seeing him back in the side.
Overall score: 7/10.
Josh Davison
The Josh Davison chant to the tune of “Spirit in the Sky” is rubbish. We really need to work on a better song for this player, or to at least make the lyrics sound less like we’re reading a wikipedia page. Similarly, Jackson needs to work on how we use Davison as a striker because what we’re doing now just isn’t working.
Although quick and strong, it’s unreasonable to expect 5ft 9 Josh to outjump massive League Two centre backs, especially when they can easily double up on him when we play with one up front. When the ball is played to his feet it is a different story, and his power usually sees him outmuscle defenders in a race to the goal. His finishing is instinctive, and in my opinion it is a lack of goalscoring opportunities being made for him which is the problem, rather than him not converting his chances.
His goals against Mansfield away or Harrogate at home sum up the best parts of his game: for both goals he wrestled past defenders to cover a third of the pitch in a solo effort, before cooly slotting past the goalkeeper. Too often he is made to fruitlessly chase long balls or waste his energy chasing down a back four who none of his teammates are helping him press. His late season injury was inevitable because we ran him into the ground throughout the season.
Some fans were angry that he went to Paris with his girlfriend when recovering from an injury. I’m not sure the club were wise to let him go either, but if anyone deserved a break and to have the rules bent in their favour it was Josh, who is an exceptionally hard worker on the pitch. I also absolutely cannot get enough of his free kick routine where he mirrors the opposition goalie to put him off, all with an expressionless stony look on his face. This player wants to give his team the edge and psyche out opponents.
Next year: We need to play with two players up top, or at least have a strategy which plays to Josh’s strengths. If we can keep Ali Al Hamadi away from enticing transfers elsewhere then these two players are going to be more than a match for any League Two defence. I imagine Davison is a great player to have in a forward partnership, given that he works so hard and isn’t selfish. However, I can’t give too much of a high score given that he is the main striker and focus of our attack, yet only hit the back of the net 9 times. Plus he has the choice in haircuts of an 8 year old girl, so no more plaits or braids next year please, Josh.
Overall score: 6/10.
Diallang Jaiyesimi
Is DJ any good? What are his strengths? Weaknesses? What sort of player is he? I don’t think I have an answer here.
It might just be that Ayoub Assal’s number 10 shirt being worn by someone else is always going to be a bit disappointing to me, or that Jaiyesimi has only been around for the bad parts of this season (having come here on loan from January) but I just don’t feel anything for this guy. He hasn’t really done anything for us, hasn’t looked fully fit for a lot of his games, and hasn’t made a connection with the fans.
I think he’s supposed to be a tricky attacking midfielder, and I’m told that Jackson used to play him as an attacking full back at Charlton, but all I see is a guy who disappears in games, occasionally trying a bit of skill in midfield before losing the ball. When I watch him in the striker’s warm up he appears to have some of the worst finishing of our players, and I’ve not seen him bring any League One sparkle to the fourth division, even when playing against some of the rubbish sides keeping us company at the bottom of the table.
Next year: I don’t think DJ’s loan has been a success, not that it’s been a disaster either, but I can’t see a benefit for us or him if he sticks around. Can JJ ring up Charlton and see if they’ll loan us someone else instead?
Overall score: 3/10.
Ethan Chislett
Does anyone else get the impression that Chis is about to break a lot of Wimbledon hearts this summer? His contract is up, and word on the street is that he is going to find fame and fortune in League One next year, possibly with Leyton Orient.
Despite our season being a shocker, it’s been a breakthrough year for this player who spent much of the previous season being kept out of the squad by Luke McCormick, or being played out of position to make room for Assal. Now 24 and proving the doubters wrong, Chis has played more league games than anyone else this year, and is club top scorer with 11 goals. If there’s any justice in the world, he’ll win goal of the season for his screamer against Gillingham at the start of the campaign, and second place for any number of his excellent free kicks.
Talking of free kicks, why are Lee Brown or Armani Little allowed to take the ball from Chislett when we have a free kick on the edge of the area? Our free kick specialist is having to share the duty with two players who shank the ball into the Lidl car park every time they tee one up.
Chislett’s detractors will say that he is too lightweight, and is pushed around too easily in the rough and tumble of League Two football. They will also probably bring up the chance he had against Orient away, when he was one on one with the goalie and squandered his opportunity. There is also a fair criticism that he isn’t a commanding presence on the pitch, and like so many of our players seems like a nice guy who could use some more grit and nastiness in their game. Personally, I’ll forgive this guy anything because I think he’s a hard worker who is always trying to play the ball forward. His quick feet and control in tight areas of the pitch are superior to almost everyone else around him in this league, and while he is never going to be a swashbuckling box-to-box battler who takes games by the scruff of the neck, he is a quietly skilful operator and dead ball specialist who any team in League One or Two could make use of.
Next year: I’m already dead inside from losing Assal, but seeing Chislett go when his contract is up will certainly hurt the piece of flint that I now have in place of a heart. If I were Johnnie Jackson I would be offering Ethan the best contract that the board would allow me to give, including a promise to put him on free kicks and corners, but I expect we can’t afford him now. It’s a great shame, and an inevitable hazard of being a lower league team of our stature that we won’t be able to get a fee for this player after all the efforts we made in developing him into a good EFL footballer. Like Rudoni at Huddersfield, I expect I’ll always keep an eye out for results for whichever team Ethan ends up at.
Overall score: 7/10
Ali Al Hamadi
The player of the year. A bright star for us all to gaze up at while we lie in the gutter. When I heard that we were getting a player who wasn’t getting enough minutes at Wycombe it didn’t excite me at all, but I have to take my hat off to whoever scouted and arranged the deal for Ali. He’s too good for League Two, and I can see why other clubs are sniffing around him already.
Not only does he have great ability and an impressive goalscoring record, he’s also got his head screwed on, comes across really well in interviews, and brings with him a dedicated social media fanbase of adoring Iraqis. He has the aura of a proper football star, and brings some much needed excitement to games that have been dull and attritional. He’s hardly had any service from midfield, but has created goals out of very little, seeming comfortable as a fox in the box, with his head, or shooting on goal from around the edge of the area.
It’s a shame that he’s come to the club at the worst part of the season, but Josh Davison’s injury has given him the chance to show how good he is, and now he has to be the first choice striker if we play with one up top. I hope that Jackson can find a way of getting both these two onto the pitch without either of them needed to play on the wing. If we can’t make a traditional 2 up front formation work, then I’d much rather see Ali at centre forward than Josh now.
Ali’s finest moment of the season has to be when he came back to Plough Lane despite being jet lagged from international duty in Russia. He came on late in the game, scored the opening goal, had the ball in the back of the net again a few minutes later (sadly disallowed for offside) before feeling his leg go and being carefully subbed back off again. He’d only been on the pitch for a few minutes, and yet had decided the outcome of the game and snatched the 3 points all by himself. He came, he saw, he conquered.
Next year: His sell-on clause from Wycombe is rumoured to be 50%, so it would take a big bid for us to let Ali go before his contract runs out. If he carries on playing this well, then a £2m+ bid from a top League One or bottom end of the Championship club doesn’t seem crazy. If we can keep him, then I can see him scoring 20 goals or more next year, he really is too good for this level. I expect we’ll be selling a lot of replica shirts with his name on because the fans have really taken a shine to him, the reception he received at full time against Tranmere shows fans have a bona fide new hero to be very proud of.
Overall score: 9/10
Nathan Broome
Another young player enjoying his first year in EFL football, Broome has taken his opportunities really well and there are now some fans seriously debating whether he should be taking the number 1 jersey from Nik Tzanev. At first because of his skinny stature and baby face, I thought that he wasn’t big enough to be a goalie, but apparently he is 6 ft 2. He was keeper for cup games this year, and for a run towards the end of the season when Tzanev was injured. There’s a lovely image of Broome and Nik hugging in the tunnel after his first league game, a rare moment of great team spirit in this horrible season.
Nathan’s kicking is far superior to Tzanev, but he is the less confident goalie at claiming crosses and challenging for stray balls in the box. They’ve both saved penalties this season, how many other clubs can claim that? It is hard to know how good Broome really is, because his run in the team came at a time when any goalkeeper would look bad, with our leaky defence not protecting him very well. Although he’s made some good saves, it isn’t possible to give too high a score given that he’s only made one clean sheet that I can think of (Walsall at home) and was part of the team that collapsed at Plymouth in the pizza cup, throwing away a 3 goal lead to lose on pens.
Next year: I’d like to see Broome and Tzanev in competition for the gloves next year, though in a best case scenario we’d bring in a better goalie who was more commanding and assertive than either of them. This might spell the end for Broome, who I doubt wants to slip down the pecking order to third choice. He is still only young, and a loan spell would be better for him than waiting on the bench for two others to be injured.
I’m never sure if fans braying “Broooooome” when he gets the ball is entirely supportive, or a little mocking to be honest, and perhaps we should be a bit kinder to our young players making early steps in their careers. Can I suggest we sing Nathan’s name to the tune of Boom Boom (I want you in my room) by the Vengaboys instead?
Rumour has it that Broome may be the number 1 next season, and that’s why he has been preferred to Tzanev in the last few games. If this is the case then I’m willing to give him a run in the team to prove himself, but can’t help but think the calamitous run of bad form we’ve been on can only be stopped with a more experienced goalie between the sticks.
Overall score: 6/10.
Zach Robinson
I remember trying to put myself in Zach’s shoes when he was recalled from his loan at Hampton and Richmond late last season, how I would feel as a young player suddenly thrust into the big time to be the main striker brought in to try and save my club from relegation. He went from one Saturday playing in non league to the next in League One and all of a sudden was leading the line in front of 7000 people. Although he didn’t make a huge impact, the occasion certainly didn’t phase him, even at 19 years old he looked like he deserved to be there on merit.
Only insiders in the club will know for sure what happened since, but from the outside it looks like he stalled on a new contract at the end of the season, either because he thought he could do better or because we didn’t promise him enough game time. Then he signed, presumably because we were left as his best option rather than because he wanted to, before being sent out on loan at Dundee where they all love him and he scores loads of goals. Then we recalled him in January only to not play him and send him back on loan to Scotland anyway. What a farce.
Next year: We should have sold him to Dundee in January. Now we should sell him to Dundee in the summer. He reportedly doesn’t want to be here, he’s too good to sit on the bench and wait for Josh and Ali to give him a turn, so let’s get a fee for him and let him go and enjoy his football elsewhere. I’d love to see him in the squad as I think he is decent, but I can’t see it happening.
Overall score: None given, as he hasn’t played enough games for us.
Alex Pearce
At the start of the season, learning that we’d signed a former Reading, Derby, Millwall and Ireland international player felt like great news. On paper Pearce was exactly what our young squad needed, a proper, no-nonsense, hard-as-nails centre back who would be our rock at the back and make us more of a force to be reckoned with. It hasn’t really worked out that way, with Pearce only staying fit and uninjured for 20 games.
When he has played he has been a better option than Pierre, Will or PK, and he will gladly head away aerial balls all day if needed, but he also looks like a player at the end of his illustrious career, and has been left chasing shadows when beaten in a foot race.
So much of commentary and football reporting is subjective, and anyone writing about the sport should be mindful of their own biases when talking about professional sports people doing their job. Despite knowing this, I have to be honest and tell you that Alex Pearce is my least favourite player, and here’s why:
In the FA Cup replay against Weymouth at Plough Lane we played Nathan Broome in goal. Broome looked nervous in the warm up, and had Tzanev and Bayzo bigging him up and applauding every save he made in the build up to kick off. Pearce was captain, and with hundreds of professional caps under his belt and with 15 odd years of experience he should have been there to guide the younger player through the game. What happened instead is that Pearce bollocked Broome several times in front of the lively home end, shouting at him in a nasty and overly aggressive way for every little mistake he made. “I fucking TOLD you” he barked at Broome, and I couldn’t even tell what the goalie had done wrong, he’d come to collect the cross effectively as far as I could tell. I’m not against players showing passion, but all Pearce did was undermine the kid’s confidence and make him look stupid in front of a full stand of intimidating fans. He should have either spoken to him with more respect, or saved the bollocking for the changing room.
This game turned me against Pearce, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t think he’s a good footballer, only that I’ve always found it hard to like him. In his day he must have been a quality player, and if he could wind back the clock 2 or 3 seasons then he would be exactly what we need right now in defence. It must be frustrating for him to be around players with less ability than him, but with youth on their side.
Next year: Due to turn 35 in November, Pearce is expected to retire which frees up some space on the wage bill, presumably he’s on good money considering his impressive CV. Bringing in experienced pros at the end of their careers is a wise strategy at our level, particularly at centre back where losing a bit of pace isn’t the end of the world. If Pearce had been more available this season then he would have surely prevented some of the calamity goals that we conceded, but the fact is that he only managed 20 games, and we weren’t great in many of those.
Overall score: 4/10.
Aaron Pierre
Brought in to shore up the defence in January, he didn’t make much of an impact, got injured, missed a load of games, then scored and got sent off against Swindon. Brilliant, cheers Aaron.
Pierre has reportedly been popular at other clubs he has played for, but it hasn’t really clicked at Plough Lane. He’s looked out of shape, and bizarrely has been played at centre forward in the closing minutes of games. When interviewed in the South London press he cryptically said “if this is a place that would love to have me back, then I’m in the right place”. I know things can get taken out of context by journalists, but this quote didn’t endear me to Pierre at all. He’s not had a great season with us, so it feels a bit cheeky of him to say that he’s only going to sign a new contract if we promise to love him. What is there to love? The times we threw away all those points in the last minutes of games?
Next year: If he can find some fitness then he is still a useful player, but reading between the lines it looks like he left Sutton after not getting enough game time, and I don’t see why he would be deserving of being anything other than a squad player for us. If he’s happy to be lower down the pecking order then I would keep him, if he is going to expect to be first choice then it might be wiser to let him go.
Overall score: 3/10.
Armani Little
I can’t believe that we didn’t manage to make a chant for this guy based on him being named after a suit. Little has played 18 times for the Dons this year, and I’m still not sure if he is any good or not. Once a box to box midfielder, banging in an average of a goal every 4 games over two years at Torquay, Armani was signed by Forest Green Rovers but found himself surplus to requirements. There’s a joke about Armani clothes being made of leather and Forest Green Rovers not wanting him because they are all vegans here somewhere, but I can’t be bothered to make it work.
At Wimbledon Little has had flashes of being a useful player, but he’s also been part of games where we easily crumbled under pressure and threw leads away for fun. Not afraid of the more physical side of the game, Little had some all-action moments in the middle of the park, but nearly always lacked the quality to link the defence with the attack. His dead ball contributions were consistently poor, with fans around me audibly groaning with disappointment every time Little or Lee Brown wound up to hit a free kick rather than Ethan Chislett. Jackson squandered this player for the last few games of the season, playing him against Stevenage on a Saturday even though he had pulled up in training on the Thursday, leaving him with an injury that ruled him out for the last few games and possibly into the summer.
Next season: Rumour has it that Little’s contract is up with FGR, and that he’ll be looking for a new club. I don’t mean to be unkind, but I think that based on his performances for us this year he’ll be lucky to get another League Two gig. Saying that, I’m also aware that he was always picked when fit, so perhaps there is something in training that just didn’t translate to the pitch. He was also preferred in midfield to Marsh and McAteer when available, so perhaps there is a good player in there somewhere who was just made to look bad by our dreadful run of form.
Overall score: 3/10.
Kasey McAteer
It can’t be easy for a young player to drop down the leagues to go out on loan in League Two. The fancy training facilities of parent club Leicester City must seem a long way away when Kasey is training with us in New Malden. Used to brushing shoulders with premier league winners and internationals, this player has risen to the challenge of making his own way in the fourth division.
What I like most about McAteer is his positivity, always trying to drive the ball forward rather than play a safe pass sideways. This does make him a little reckless in possession, and I’ve seen him shank the ball wide plenty of times, but the fact that he wants to play a Roy of the Rovers style attacking play makes him more fun to watch than most of our midfielders. He’s got some good quality in his feet, but needs to find some consistency, and learn to be more of an influence and presence. His best game came in our recent 1-1 draw with Tranmere where he played in the middle of the park as part of a 4-4-2 formation. He seemed much more comfortable here than as part of an attacking 3 in our usual 4-2-3-1. A lack of goals (1) and assists keep this player away from a decent end of season score from me.
Next season: if Leicester want a familiar place for their young player to get first team football then I’d have Kasey back again at Plough Lane, but I don’t see him being a starter in the first team yet. It’s nice to have premier league names in our team, but I also can’t help but think that we’ve got our own 21 year olds who I’d prefer to be taking a punt on.
Overall score: 5/10.
Hus Biler
The best thing about Hus Biler isn’t his pace, close control, or ability to dispossess attacking players, it is his football brain. Hus reads the game beautifully and his positional sense ensures that he’s rarely caught out or pressured into making a mistake. What makes him the first choice right back over Gunter and Ogundere is what he can bring to the game both in attack and defence, and on his day he is as good as anyone in the league. It’s such a shame that we hardly got to see any games with Currie on the left and Biler on the right.
What holds him back is his injury record, which may go on to scupper his whole career. Biler shares an agent with Ayoub Assal, and based on ability alone he is easily good enough to get a League One club or Qatari team to triple his salary with an exciting new contract. The reason we are able to hang onto him at Plough Lane is that he’s only managed to turn out 13 times this year, spending three quarters of the season injured or unfit.
Next season: Hus went off injured against Tranmere, and God only knows why Jackson was risking him in such a nothing game. Maybe being injured will mean that other clubs won't be sniffing around him, but maybe it means that we won’t see this player fit and ready to go for the first game of the season next year. I really hope that Hus can shake off whatever injury he has and can play the majority of games for us next season. Biler being out of action is good news for Isaac Ogundere who is a decent back up option, but sadly also means that we’d be wise to sign another full back from somewhere. Even with injury problems Hus is such a talent that I think it is worth keeping him, and to play him as first choice right back when he is available.
Overall score: 4/10.
24. Alfie Bendle
Schrodinger's midfielder, his potential a mystery to us all. He’s simultaneously too good for a loan move but not good enough for the first team. When I watch this player in the warm up it’s easy to see what all the fuss is about, he controls the ball so naturally, so effortlessly, so why have I hardly seen him get any game time?
The answer is that he only turned 18 in January, and while his touch and passing range are probably ready, we have to remember that he wasn’t even old enough to buy a pint in the Phoenix Bar for the majority of the season. 18 years old is still a 6th former, League Two has plenty of players who are old enough to be this guy’s Dad, and a young talent should be nurtured into the game, and not thrown in too early.
Next season: I want to see Bendle in the midfield. I’m fully on the hype train and I want to see the club live up to our reputation of giving young players a proper opportunity. If he isn’t on the pitch then he needs a good long term loan deal where he plays men’s football, there’s no point in him being in the Wimbledon matchday squad every week but not making any appearances.
Xavier Wiggins posted “just watch it happen” in a Twitter thread discussing Bendle moving to Borussia Mönchengladbach this week, so in the most unexpected transfer of the season we may be losing our prodigy to a top flight German club. Who saw that coming?
No score given for Bendle yet, though I hope he lives up to the potential and becomes a feature of the team next season.
26. Jack Currie
The young player of the year. This time last year most fans hadn’t heard of this guy, because he’d been on loan at Eastbourne. When I chose my first eleven for the new season on Twitter back in summer 2022 Jack wasn’t in it, and the Wombles Had A Dream podcast (for which I made the intro music) pointed this out, saying I was mad not to pick him. Whatever, I thought, I’m not going to get excited about some kid who has never played in the EFL before. Little did I know.
Jack has had such a good season, particularly in the first half of the year. His leaping header to score in the opening game against Gillingham announced him to the fans, and he’s been first choice at left back ever since. He gets forward well, plays a good intelligent passing game, and can go past players if needed. The best part of his game is his stubbornness in 1 v 1 duels with attackers, which he almost always wins. Wily and experienced opposition wingers have been left frustrated when coming up against 21 year old Jack, who keeps most of them neatly in his pocket for 90 minutes.
His connection with the fans is a rare and special thing, this lad is absolutely adored. When we lose it is obvious that it hurts Jack just as much as anyone standing in the South end. After being mauled 5-1 by Swindon he was the only player to approach angry fans at full time and to try to talk them down, despite him only having been on the pitch for the closing minutes of the game.
Next year: I am told that we rejected bids significantly in excess of £1 million for Jack in January, and while his form has dropped off since then, I can see why other clubs are going to be queuing up to secure his signature. He could easily play at a top League One club, and wouldn’t be out of place in the Championship. At the last home game of the season after a boring 1-1 draw against Tranmere, Jack was one of the last players off the pitch, enjoying the well earned praise from the fans and tapping the double eagle badge on his heart. Sadly, I think we’ve said goodbye to this player now, who is another success story of our club. While it hurts to lose him, it’s important to remember that for every Ayoub Assal, Jack Rudoni or Jack Currie that we develop and sell off for a big profit, we are one step closer to paying off the stadium debt and becoming financially stronger in the long term. There will be a time when we don’t have to lose talents like this, but not yet. Thanks for everything, Jack, we’ll all be watching your career in earnest.
Overall score: 8/10.
28. Sam Pearson
What a fun player to watch. Rolled down socks, fingernail sized shin pads and “meet me at McDonalds” haircut, Sam marauds along the touchline with chalk on his boots waiting for a chance to bomb towards the corner flag and get a cross in. He’s not afraid to use his skills to take on full backs, even if they’ve won his previous attempts to jink around them, and he seems to really enjoy winding up opposition players.
Sadly, the other truth to his game is that he hasn’t really done anything to affect the results of games while on loan with us. He’s looked good in spells, but he’s also drifted in and out of matches, and has no goals or assists to his name. If he’s going to make it at parent club Bristol City, then he really should be able to be a big fish in a small pond in the lower echelons of League Two, but it just hasn’t happened for him.
Next year: If we can have him for another year I’d be pleased to see him on the books, but I expect that this is the last we’ll see of him. Having an attacking player who gives you the odd George Best or Jack Grealish-esque thrill when he beats someone on the wing is a great luxury, but it would be better for The Dons to have a player who can be a bit more direct and effective.
Overall score: 4/10.
29. David Fisher
I can’t comment on David or give a score because he’s hardly played. I suspect that he’ll be let go at the end of the year. I hope he goes on to have a good career.
30. Dylan Adjei Hersey
Another player who we’ve only seen a few glimpses of. Like Fisher, I hope he stays and gets a good loan deal, but it may be that League Two is beyond his ability and we let him go.
30. Paul Kalambayi
Before this season I thought that PK was only at the club to be back up to Will, and had him down as our last choice centre back. Surprising a lot of fans, PK has really stepped up this year and his centre back partnership with Towler saw us unbeaten in 10 games for our best run of the season.
He doesn’t have the best feet in the world, and his touch can let him down with diabolical consequences, but he’ll head aerial balls clear and out-wrestle attackers all day long. Plus, he’s got one of the best fan chants to the tune of Everybody (Backstreet’s Back). His efforts to reason with fans after the disaster of Sutton at home show that this player gives a shit about the club, and understands fan frustration. Sadly a major injury drew his season to an early close, and pictures circulated on social media of Paul giving a sad looking thumbs up from a hospital bed. I hope he makes a full recovery because we’re going to need him.
Next year: hopefully we can sign a good quality centre back and then Will and PK can fight it out for who gets to partner him. I’m really hoping that PK’s injury isn’t one that affects his game long term and that we’ll all be singing his song from August.
Overall score: 6/10.
33. Isaac Ogundere
Isaac staked his claim as a trustworthy professional against Bradford away. We had just conceded in the final minute of extra time (sound familiar?) and striker Andy Cook got right in Isaac’s face to shout and jeer in celebration. Cool as you like, Isaac stared the older player down, didn’t react to the provocation and didn’t let the subsequent images of the encounter circulating the internet for days afterwards knock his confidence. That moment of dignity came on his full debut and he was only 19 years old.
If he carries on at his current trajectory I can see this player being a future Dons captain, a calm presence at the back who does his job without a fuss. He doesn’t give fans the thrill of rushing forward that Hus Biler does, but he seems a little more solid and harder to beat. When I watch the defenders knocking long balls to each other in the warm up, it’s rare to see Isaac misplace a pass or fumble a controlling touch. He’s only 20 years old now and surely can only get better.
Next year: For all the positives, it’s hard to give too high a score for Isaac because he has been part of the shambolic defence that has shipped goals for fun all season. Although young, he is now an established figure in the first team, and I hope to see him getting some more minutes and continuing to develop next year, probably covering for Hus when the first choice right back inevitably gets injured. Chris Gunter retiring or moving on bumps Ogundere one place up the pecking order, which he deserves.
Overall score: 5/10.
36. Luke Jenkins
A young player who has really stepped up and taken his opportunities. It’s hard to know too much about him from his brief appearances, but from what I’ve seen he looks ready for the first team and I expect will be played in cup competitions next year. His goal against Barrow landed in his lap and was a bit of a fluke, but they all count, and that one goal to his name means that he has put the ball in the back of the net more times than some of our attacking players who have played 10 times as many games.
Next year: Too good for a loan now, and looking likely to have a good EFL career ahead of him, Jenkins should be ready on the bench when any of our older centre backs get injured (likely). It feels unfair to give a score when he’s only played one full game for us.
39. Quaine Bartley
Anyone who has watched the Sky documentary about young players trying to get senior contracts will share my affection for Q. He comes across so well in the doc, and I’m always pleased to see him in the first team.
At youth level, footage in the documentary showed him as a Diego Costa or Carlos Tevez style destroyer of a player, powering through defences with bullish strength, but at full EFL level he looks a little lost. He’s had a loan spell which sounds like it went okay, but didn’t set the world alight, and he looks like he’s lost a bit of weight since the start of the season. However, when he’s been brought on as a sub towards the end of games he sometimes looks like the occasion is too much for him, and can be left chasing fruitless balls and kicking thin air.
Next year: a season long loan deal at a National League south club for Quaine would be great, we need to see if he is going to become the goalscorer that we all want him to be. I really hope he makes it because he seems like a nice lad. It doesn’t feel fair to give a score to a young player who has only had a few minutes here and there.
Short review of loan players:
Riley Towler. The one who got away. Will go on to have a great career. 8/10
Nathan Young Coombes. Sideshow Bob with great passion. Feed him the ball in the box and he will score. Perhaps too lightweight and injury prone for League Two. 5/10
Kyle Hudlin. Big shoes. Big waste of time. 1/10.
Paris Maghoma. Tidy player but volatile card magnet. Went on loan at MK after us and got relegated LOL. 0/10.
Courtney Senior. One flukey goal. Otherwise out of his depth. 2/10.
A short review of players we have sold:
Ayoub Assal is my favourite footballer of all time and I’ll never get over it. No, I’m not joking. Why wont my wife let me move the family to Qatar so I can see him play again?
Luke McCormick thought that the grass was greener elsewhere. Turns out he was making way for Ethan Chislett’s breakthrough season. Good riddance.
Best games of the season top 5:
Leyton Orient at home. Bounce around if you love the Dons. We bounced for 90 minutes as everything came together for once. Harry Pell scored a goal so good that it had no business being in League Two.
Crawley away. A terrific Ethan Chislett free kick and an easy 3 points in the sunshine. We all felt like we were going to walk League Two at this stage.
Gillingham at home. Another convincing win and Chislett screamer from outside the area. I love beating Gills and this was another early season one where we felt like League Two was going to be loads of fun. Jack Currie scored that header on his debut.
Gillingham at home in the Pizza Cup. Amazing atmosphere even though we lost in the end. The South end was absolutely buzzing on a warm evening under the floodlights. The away keeper got called a cunt for a solid 45 minutes. I brought two mates with me to show off how great coming to Plough Lane is and the occasion did not disappoint. Then we got really drunk in the Corner Pin.
Harrogate at home. I brought my Dad and sister with me who are both Spurs fans (I know…) and Josh Davison turned a 1-2 defeat into a 3-2 win in the dying moments of the game. It was a lovely sunny Saturday, great atmosphere and the beer was flowing. South London song was particularly prevalent that day and it was great craic.
Worth mentioning Leyton Orient away where we sold out the away allocation and sang for 90 minutes despite a loss. It was a similar story at Stevenage and I loved seeing all the young lads partying all the way home on the tube and (safely and responsibly) letting of their blue flare at Kings Cross Station. Lovely moment when Stevenage fans attempted a “who are ya?” chant, only for us to reply with a rousing chorus of The Champagne Song. We are Wombles, super Wombles, we are Wombles from the Lane.
Worst games of the season top 5:
Sutton at home when angry idiots confronted DTB member Niall Couper after the game because he said something they didn’t like on a podcast. I don’t know Niall personally and I don’t want to open up old wounds but this moment and the subsequent online fighting about it was fucking wank.
Salford at home. The gibbering gargoyle faces of the Salford players directly in front of where I sit at Plough Lane still haunt my nightmares. I still can’t believe that we went from winning and saving a penalty to coming away with no points, all in the space of injury time. Top bellend Gary Neville celebrating on Twitter like it was 1999 made me consider if I should stop watching football for a bit. It just made me too angry.
Sutton away on New Years Day when I had to get three trains from Wiltshire to make kick off, only to stand in the rain and watch the most abject game of the season (so far!) Also, this was the game where we all had to concede that Ayoub really was leaving.
Rochdale at home. They were bottom of the league and we needed to beat them to feel comfortable about staying up. We bottled it.
Hartlepool at home. They were second bottom of the league and we needed to beat them to feel comfortable about staying up. We bottled it.
Summary:
I love this club. I know I’ve been negative, but I absolutely love this club.
Overall I’m very pleased that this season is over and hopefully we’ll have forgotten all about it when we’re winning more games than we lose next season. I’m looking forward to some of the dead wood being let go, learning who is coming in to replace them (in Craig Cope we trust), seeing the new Umbro kits (as a 90’s kid they are my favourite kit designer), returning to my beloved Block 132 in the South end, and hopefully attending more away games next year. I’ve got a horrible feeling that I’m going to be one of those anoraks who wants to tick off attendance at every ground in the 92. Come on you Dons.
Now to find something else to whinge about for the summer.