Full-back in optmistic mood ahead of Luton
Jon Meades believes he is close to recapturing the impressive form that made him such a favourite with AFC Wimbledon supporters during his first spell with the Dons.
His return to the starting line-up has coincided with a five-match unbeaten run in League 2 for Neal Ardley’s men and Meades says he is really enjoying his football again after two seasons of hardly playing at Oxford United.
The 23-year-old left-back, who was Wimbledon’s Young Player of the Year in the dramatic 2012/13 survival season, is therefore looking ahead to Luton Town tomorrow with optimism.
Speaking to Rob Cornell during an interview for Dons Player, Meades said: “I feel I’m finding the form now that I showed last time I was here a few seasons ago. They (the management) know my game really well and they have picked up on points that I can improve upon.
“Knowing that the manager has confidence in me has helped me relax and play the game that I know I can. In the last two home games I think I have played particularly well and I’m happy with my performances. Being sound defensively is something I’ve been working on. There’s still more to come because I’ve only started six or seven games and it’s still relatively early in the season.
“We will go there (Luton) full of confidence. We had a bit of a mixed start to the season, but we have picked up our form now. We are five games unbeaten now and we want to keep that momentum going, but we have to go there and produce a good performance. We cannot rest on our laurels though. If your performance levels drop by about five per cent in this league then you are going to struggle. We have to make sure our performance levels stay high.”
Wimbledon will be without Will Nightingale for the trip to Luton as he has had a knee operation, but Meades believes the young centre-back can come back stronger.
Having suffered a catalogue of injuries at a time when he was trying to break into the first-team at Cardiff City, Meades knows what his team-mate is going through.
“It is obviously very frustrating for Will because he did really well after coming into the team,” said Meades. “All the boys will be good to him and give him moral support, but he just needs to focus on his recovery. I started my professional career in a similar way to Will with a few bad injuries. I know exactly what he is going through. I will help him as much as I can. I am sure he will come back just as strong, if not stronger.”
The full interview with Jon Meades is on Dons Player, along with a seven-minute update from Neal Ardley ahead of the League 2 match at Luton.