Interview with player and Erik's tribute
Matt Tubbs revealed that Neal Ardley’s determination to sign him played a big part in his decision to choose Wimbledon after he turned down interest from other clubs.
The striker’s prolific scoring record made him a target for several clubs this summer, but Neal Ardley’s persistence paid off in the end.
“I had offers from League 1, League 2 and Conference clubs and it was a decision I made to come here,” Matt told Dons Player. “The manager was a big factor. I think this club is pushing in the right direction. I’ve met the manager on quite a few occasions now and he’s always spoken highly about the club. If he can bring the players in who he wants and the fans all pull together then there’s no reason why we should not push for promotion. It’s a case of me coming here now and repaying the manager’s faith in me.
“I’ve had a lot of tussles with Wimbledon during my time at Crawley and Salisbury and they were always tough games. The crowd were always brilliant and I’ve been involved in some really good games here in the past. Hopefully, there will be more to come next season. Throughout my career I’ve played in teams that have been promoted and there’s no better feeling. The plan here is to get promotion so that Wimbledon can be a League 1 team.”
Matt is pictured above receiving congratulations after scoring for Crawley Town at the Cherry Red Records Stadium in 2011.
Chief Executive Erik Samuelson saluted Neal Ardley’s perseverance and thanked lifelong fan Mike Richardson for his continued support.
“I would like to pay tribute to the extraordinary amount of time and effort put in by Neal to bring Matt to the club", said Erik.
“Fans don't see the work that goes into making such deals happen, but believe me it was massive. Neal set his sights high by identifying Matt as our key target and then went about the pursuit with dogged persistence until he got the deal over the line.
Many thanks too, to the fans who have donated - I hope all fans agree that next season is beginning to look very interesting indeed!" The extra funds he has committed, matching donations from fans, enabled us to pursue the deal where otherwise it wouldn’t have been possible. “I’d also like to a big say thank-you to Mike.
Dons Player subscribers can now watch an in-depth interview with Neal Ardley and an exclusive with Matt Tubbs will feature on our premium channel soon.
For details about how to donate to the We Are Wimbledon Fund during June, a month when Mike Richardson has promised to match contributions made, click on Your AFC Wimbledon .