Striker on his dramatic leveller
Ade Azeez was delighted to reward AFC Wimbledon fans for their patience with a late equaliser on Saturday – and he's determined to make his name as a goal poacher in the coming years.
The 21-year-old had become renowned for his work outside the box as a striker with blinding pace, but this season he’s made notching from close-range his speciality.
Speaking during an interview for Dons Player after his fifth goal of the season against Wycombe Wanderers, Azeez said: “I feel that I’m getting in the box a lot more now. I’ve heard from a few strikers who have scored a lot of goals in the past and they’ve told me just to get in the box because that’s where I will get my goals. If I do become a striker who gets all of his goals in the box, I will be happy with that.
“We have been on a good run and the fans have been excellent, but on Saturday they were getting a bit anxious. As a team we know that we’re going to create chances, whether it’s in the first minute or the last minute. We keep going right until the end and that’s what we did on Saturday. First and foremost, it was good to get something from the game and keep our unbeaten run going in the league.”
Azeez added that Wycombe’s defensive approach on Saturday is something the Dons are going to face a lot more this season. Tomorrow night Wimbledon face bottom club Dagenham & Redbridge, where Azeez spent a previous loan spell, and he is hoping to give Dons fans something to cheer a lot earlier than on Saturday.
“Teams come here now and they know we are a good team,” said Azeez. “They sit off us a bit because they know if they try and take the game to us we will pick them off. I feel that we have something special here and we will always try to play our football. We will focus on us and try to come out and take the game to them. Hopefully, we can give the fans something to shout about again.”
Picture credit: Stuart Butcher, Pro Sports Images.