Interview with forward ahead of Southend
Andy Barcham is determined to play a part in helping the club make further progress after returning from injury.
Barcham’s first season with AFC Wimbledon ended with glory at Wembley and 2016/17 is going well so far with the Dons currently occupying a top-10 place in League One.
Speaking during an interview for Dons Player ahead of the match at Southend United on Boxing Day, Barcham said: “It’s been unbelievable to be a part of it all. The Wembley day was fantastic and a great experience for everyone involved. To see where this club has come from and where it is heading, it is great for me to be a part of that. It is great that we did our little piece to carry on the journey. We want to go into the next year and keep that going.
“The effort people put in to help this club is unbelievable. It is not like anything I’ve experienced and it is good that they are being rewarded. The fans and staff work so hard off the pitch and we try to replicate that on the pitch. That is what we have tried to do in 2016 and hopefully we can carry that on and keep pushing the club forward.
“If we can go away from home and be difficult to beat, teams will know they are in for a tough game. That’s what we are trying to create and we want teams to fear playing us. The team spirit has got a lot to do with it (good away record). The manager is big on that, he always has been. The new lads who came in at the start of the season were told about that straight away. When you go a long way and travel far, you have to be together and be prepared on cold nights to grind out the points. We’ve been doing that so hopefully it will continue.
Barcham, who returned to first-team action against Port Vale after missing a month due to a hamstring injury, is expecting a difficult test at Roots Hall with Phil Brown’s side having moved up the League One table.
“Southend is a difficult place to go and they are in and around us so we are expecting a tough game,” added Barcham. “We’ve been working on a few things to hopefully get the better of them and I’m looking forward to it.
“I like the Christmas period and I’m really happy to be back. The injury is fine and it’s just about getting minutes into me – that’s what the other day was about. It’s nice to get back in training, but the game minutes are the most important thing. That’s how you get your match sharpness back, a few more matches and I will be back up to speed.”
The full interview with Andy Barcham and an extensive update from Neal Ardley are on Dons Player.