Midfielder aims to up his game
Tom Beere made a goalscoring return at Plymouth yesterday, but Under-21 coach Alan Reeves said he expects more from the young midfielder in his pursuit of regular first-team football.
Academy product Beere (pictured) put two weeks out with a foot injury behind him as the young Dons bowed out of the Under-21 Premier League Cup at Home Park.
However, Alan Reeves told Dons Player afterwards that he wants to see the 20-year-old dominating games at development level.
“Tom played quite well, but I did say to him afterwards that he needs to stamp his authority on games a little bit more,” said Alan. “He cannot think of himself as an Under-21 player anymore. He is a first-team squad player and he needs to bring that into these games.
“He scored a good goal, but I want to see him grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck and demanding more off the other lads. Tom is more experienced now than the other lads are. Overall, he got fitness out of it – two hours of football will do that – but there is a lot to improve on.”
Alan Reeves felt it was a deserved exit from the Under-21 Premier League Cup at Plymouth and he is demanding that his squad quickly put it behind them.
“We had a heart to heart about it afterwards,” added Alan. “Some performances were not up the levels that they have set for themselves since the start of pre-season. But it is only one game and I have told them that we have another match next week (Luton Town away) to get their levels back up again. They are all good, hard-working lads and I am sure they will learn from it.”
During a post-match interview for Dons Player after Plymouth, Beere said he is determined to keep working hard for more first-team opportunities – and he believes Alan Reeves is a coach who is getting the best out of developing players at the club.
“It was poor from me and the team today,” Beere admitted. “I always try my hardest and give 100 per cent whether I am playing for the first-team or the Under-21s. If I can play well for the Under-21s then hopefully I can get into the first-team like last year and keep my place. For us as a team, it was nowhere near good enough today.
“From what we had produced against Cambridge and Bournemouth to come down to this level was poor. Dan Gallagher, Ryan Sweeney and Egli Kaja have all been here for a long time. For those players to get on the bench for the first-team and make their debuts means a lot. The club means the world to them.
“Alan is a tough coach and he will tell you how it is if you are not good enough. But he is also honest and will let us know if we are good. He is a good coach with the training drills that he puts on. We can also go and talk to Alan about things going on in our personal lives and he will give us advice. I think overall he has everything to be a good coach.”
The interviews with Alan Reeves and Tom Beere featured on Dons Player this morning.