Wimbledon youth product learning from experienced heads
says he has learned a lot from Wimbledon’s experienced defenders so far this season.Jim FenlonYoung full-back
Fenlon, who made 21 first-team appearances last season, has yet to feature so far during 2013/14, but the 19-year-old believes that guidance he has received in training, and in yesterday’s win for the development team against Portsmouth, is proving invaluable.
, who played in the win against Pompey, has added further depth to a squad that includes several players with experience of winning promotion from League 2.Rhys WestonFormer Arsenal and Cardiff City defender
, Fenlon (pictured above) said: “The players that came in during the summer have helped the squad massively. We have wiser heads now who know how to see out games. They can also help the younger boys like me in training by giving us tips that will turn us into better players. Rhys has passed on advice about how I can do things to make my game better and it was good playing alongside him today.Dons PlayerAnd speaking to Rob Cornell on
(Under-21 Development coach) yesterday and his sessions are very technical; they will certainly improve me as a footballer.”Shaun North“It is good to have players battling for positions in the team. In games such as this we have to show that we are ready to be called upon at any time for the first-team. All the boys trained with
Weston, who was an unused substitute in Saturday’s win against Wycombe Wanderers, believes that having a development squad structure in place at AFC Wimbledon is crucial for the club’s future.
knows how to bring young players through having been an academy coach at Cardiff and with money now tight in the lower leagues it is important to do that here. In games such as this Neal will be casting his eye over the youngsters, but also looking at the senior players too. He wants to check the fitness of players, along with their attitude and application. As a player you are always on show – there is always someone watching – and we would have done ourselves more harm than good if we had not turned up and tried today. I think we have a good group though with all the players determined to fight for a place.Neal Ardley“It is important for a club like Wimbledon to nurture and develop young players,” he said. “
) has a lot of potential and if I can help him develop in the meantime then that will be fantastic. There were good young players on show for us today.”Oluseyi Daley“It has been a long time coming for me; I was lucky enough to earn a contract after coming through a trial and then I had to wait two weeks for international clearance. But I am really pleased now. Though it was good for me to improve my fitness today, my role is also to help out the younger players if I am called upon to play in development games. Shay (
Dons Player subscribers can watch the full six-minute interview with Jim and Rhys on our premium site, along with the thoughts of Shaun North.