Captain interviewed ahead of match at The Valley
Barry Fuller’s career turns full circle tomorrow when he faces Charlton Athletic for the first time since leaving 10 years ago – and he’s determined to mark the occasion with a victory.
The 32-year-old left Charlton without making a first-team appearance, but he is still thankful for a seven-year football education that led to successful times at Stevenage, Gillingham and here at Wimbledon.
Speaking during an interview for Dons Player, the Wimbledon captain said: “I am grateful for the seven years I had at Charlton because I learned my trade there. I was fortunate to be on the bench a couple of times, but I did not make that first-team appearance. I sat down with the manager at the time and felt it was time to move on. I was disappointed to leave the club I grew up at, but I was at an age when I needed to play football.
“It helped me to progress. I moved onto Stevenage and learned the lower leagues. I had to ‘man-up’ and learn how to play in physical games every week. I had some good times at Charlton and I’ve always had a soft spot for the club where I started my career. When I was at Gillingham I was injured when we played Charlton so I missed out. It will be nice to play there on Saturday.”
channel.You TubeA clip of Barry Fuller’s interview for Dons Player is now on our official
With a big Dons following expected at The Valley tomorrow, Fuller would love to reward the club he has been a part of for three years with a victory.
“Wherever we go, our fans are amazing,” added Fuller. “We are looking to put Saturday’s result behind us and kick-on against another big club. Hopefully, we can go and put a show on there and get three points.
“The club has come on in leaps and bounds, both on and off the pitch, since I’ve been here. You can tell that by the players who want to come and play for this football club. Over the past couple of years we’ve progressed and I’ve loved every minute of my time here. Hopefully, there will be a few more years yet for me.
“It was a really tough start to this week and the manager told us a few home truths, which we needed. We’ve rolled our sleeves up since and grafted. As a team we hate conceding goals and it hurts defenders more because it’s our job to stop them. We’ve been working hard as a unit to put that right. It’s disappointing to score two goals at home and not take anything from the game. To keep clean sheets is what we as defenders are in the team to do.”
.Dons PlayerThe full interview with Barry Fuller, along with Neal Ardley’s update ahead of Charlton, are on