Left-back's delight after re-signing for the Dons
Callum Kennedy says that going away and training with other clubs provided extra motivation to convince Neal Ardley he was worth another chance at AFC Wimbledon.
The left-back said it had been a “strange’ summer for him after he signed a new contract at the club, just three months after being released by the Dons.
Speaking to Dons Player, Kennedy said: “I went and trained at a couple of other clubs, but I knew straight away that they were not for me. I thought that I would much rather be here and as soon as I knew the manager would have me back I wanted to knuckle down. I have given my all day in and day out and I am really pleased that the manager has given me another chance. It’s been a very strange situation, but I’m sure it’s one that will make me stronger. I'm happy that I'm staying, back, or whichever way you want to put it.
“I knew there was a chance I would be released because I missed most of the second half of last season through an ankle injury. The manager offered me a chance to come back in pre-season to continue working with Stuart Douglas and get 100 per cent fit again. I did a lot of work on the injury during summer and it got better. Then when the manager asked me to play 20 minutes against Chelsea I snapped his hand off! It’s all gone on from there and now that it’s all sorted I’m looking forward to the season.”
Kennedy, who is still only 24, won a League 2 title with Swindon two years ago and he believes that this season’s Wimbledon squad has enough about it to be in the top half of the division.
“On paper it looks to be a very strong team,” added Kennedy. “But we cannot rest on our laurels and we must go out and do the business. The general feeling within the camp is that we have a really strong group and everyone is going to be competing for places. We should be competing in the top section of the league.”
The full Dons Player interview with Callum Kennedy appeared on our premium channel yesterday.