Mat expects improvement
Mat Mitchel-King may have been appointed as our new captain, but he believes the Wimbledon fans have yet to see the best of him as a player.
The centre-back admits his performances during pre-season have fallen below his own expectations, though he says the second-half against Portsmouth was a step in the right direction. And Mat believes he will be a better player after a full pre-season under his belt, something which did not happen when he first joined us last summer.
"Last season was disjointed for me as it took me five months to even get a game here with the problems I had," he said. "I do not think the fans have seen the best of me yet and I will have had a full pre-season this time. I still need to improve though as I do not think I have reached the standards that I set myself during pre-season. You can use it as an excuse that we are still gelling, but individually and collectively the back four and the whole team have not defended well enough. The goals have been avoidable and it is not like the goals we have conceded have been great shots from 40 yards. They have been silly mistakes and I have been one of the biggest culprits. The second-half against Portsmouth was better at the back though and hopefully we can be more solid in the new season."
Mat added that it is a big honour for him to be selected as Wimbledon skipper and the former Crewe Alexandra defender believes he can lead the Dons to an improved League 2 performance next season.
"I am delighted to be captain of the team," he added. "I am hoping that myself and the other senior players can inspire the lads and we can have a good season. The club's board, along with Terry and his coaching team, have done well, with the new signings we have made. To get Pim in was a massive coup for us. He is a quality centre-back who has played at a higher level and if you have got someone in like him, then it can only be good for the team. It is great that he is here, along with the other signings. We want to be a solid team, difficult to beat first and foremost, as we have always scored goals at the other end. I think there was encouraging signs against Portsmouth. If we play like we did in the second-half on a regular basis, then we will be a match for anyone in League 2 and can do well next season."