Defender on Mansfield test and his loan so far
Dave Winfield believes his loan spell with AFC Wimbledon is bringing the best out of him and he is determined to help the Dons finish 2014/15 strongly.
The towering defender (pictured) yesterday had his loan extended after making six starts for AFC Wimbledon since arriving from York City, where he had barely played this season.
Speaking during an interview for Dons Player ahead of the trip to Mansfield tonight, Dave said: “I feel good now and my fitness levels are right up there. I feel that I am coming into my own now and putting my stamp on the team. I want to help drive the team forward as much as possible. I am not here just for myself and I want to try and help Wimbledon move up the table. I want to kick on and help us get the results we desperately want.
“I am over the moon to stay here. There is a great bunch of lads here and they have welcomed me into the group from day one. As a loan player is it not always easy to step straight into a team, but I have really enjoyed my time here so far. I’m here to try and help us grind out results and now I am looking forward to the forthcoming games.”
The first of those is at Mansfield tonight and Dave is expecting a very different challenge from what Wimbledon faced at Exeter on Saturday.
“It was disappointing to get a few decisions go against us, but we cannot go on too much about that,” added Dave. “The performance was not quite up to the level that we had been producing. That had to be looked at and we have to make sure we produce a reaction.
“I have played against Mansfield a few times and I know that they are an aggressive side. They have a lot of size about them and it will be a completely different dynamic to what we faced on Saturday. But we will have a game plan as we always do and we will try and execute that as well as we possibly can.”
Dons Player subscribers can watch the full video interview with Dave Winfield, along with Simon Bassey’s update ahead of Mansfield. WDON will be broadcasting live from the One Call Stadium from 7.45 pm.