Charlie Sheringham joins the Dons
completing a double signing today.Charlie SheringhamNeal Ardley’s summer overhaul has gathered momentum this afternoon with the addition of
Charlie, who is the son of former England international Teddy, made a name for himself as a prolific scorer at non league level and has spent the last two seasons at Bournemouth.
, Neal Ardley believes the Dons can provide a platform for the 25-year-old to reignite his career after a foot injury curtailed his progress at Dean Court.Dons PlayerSpeaking to
“We watched Charlie last season when Jason Prior was at Dartford on loan and he was the best player at that level,” said Neal. “We have looked at the qualities that he has and the way that we want to play next season and Charlie fits into the mould. Charlie has scored a lot of goals at a lower level and 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 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.
“Charlie is technically very good, he is tall and similar in stature to Jack Midson. I believe that in Jack and Charlie we have two players who know where to be in the box and how to score goals. Charlie can also drop deeper and link the play. If we do want to try and get the ball down a bit more and link-up the play in forward areas then Charlie will fit into that.”
Charlie Sheringham had spells with several Football League clubs as a youngster and caught the eye, in particular, at Ipswich by helping the club to FA Youth Cup Final success in 2005, starring alongside Sammy Moore in that successful team. After dropping down to non league, Charlie banged in the goals and his prolific spree of 30 goals in 46 games at Dartford earned him a move to Bournemouth.
Though that never worked out in the end with Charlie’s time on the South Coast blighted by an injury problem, several clubs showed interest in signing him this summer.
Speaking to Rob Cornell on Dons Player, Charlie said: “I had spoken to Wimbledon, along with a lot of other clubs this summer, but it was Neal Ardley who really wanted to sign me. This was the best decision for me and I just want to play football now.
“I have not played a lot of football over the past couple of years due to a bad injury and it was an unlucky time for me at Bournemouth. Neal wants me to come here, enjoy myself, score goals, and help AFC Wimbledon climb the table.”
Dons Player subscribers can watch an update from Neal Ardley on his transfer plans on our premium site and an exclusive interview with Charlie later this afternoon.