Interview with midfielder after stunning victory
Dean Parrett saluted the team ethic that has lifted AFC Wimbledon up to ninth place in League One after the Dons put a difficult start to the season fully behind them.
During a post-match interview for Dons Player, the midfielder also revealed that a second-half injury meant that he handed over set-piece duties to Jake Reeves, who subsequently created that last-gasp winner.
“Everyone ran over to ‘Meadesy’ but I celebrated with Jake as I appreciated the quality of the pass,” said Dean. “Sometimes the delivery needs to be perfect and it was. I was struggling with a dead leg in the second-half and I couldn’t run much anymore so it was easier to celebrate with ‘Reevo’. We had conceded a few free-kicks near the end and they were putting a bit of pressure on us. At one point we were looking at each other and thinking ‘a point up here on a day like this is not bad’. To get three points is brilliant.
“The start of the season was a wake-up call for us. We had to look at ourselves as individuals and as a team. We had a good meeting and I think it has worked. Everyone is pulling in the same direction now and fighting for each other. That’s the main thing now. We are all team-mates and we have to work for each other.
“I was watching from the outside last season and I know it took up until Christmas for the boys to get going. We are pushing on a bit earlier this season and we are now looking up the table – we are not far off it. I know it’s a bit early to say things and we are only looking at the next game, but why can’t we look up?”
Parrett added that rewarding the 191 Dons fans who made the trip to Bury was particularly pleasing for him and his team-mates.
“When we were warming up we thought ‘look at all those fans’. They came up here on a Tuesday night and we wanted to put in a performance for them. Everyone worked their socks off and I cannot say that anyone left anything out there. I think we deserved the three points.”
.Dons PlayerThe full interview with Dean Parrett, Neal Ardley’s post-match reaction, and extended highlights from the win at Bury, are now on