Academy product interviewed after his debut against Peterborough
Toby Sibbick was congratulated by Neal Ardley after his debut yesterday and the 17-year-old is determined to show the manager that he’s worth more opportunities in the future.
The Dons academy product only knew for certain that he would be starting on the afternoon of the game, but Toby had prepared himself mentally to take his opportunity if it came along.
Speaking during a post-match interview afterwards, Toby said: “I found out before kick-off when the manager announced the team. There had been a few rumours that I was going to start, but I just kept level-headed and thought that if I was needed to play I would give my all. It was a good start for my debut as I thought I did well and we kept a clean sheet. The manager shook my hand afterwards, gave me a hug, said that I played well, and that it was a great debut."
Toby’s interview, with WDON’s Rob Cornell posing the questions, is available via the link above to our official You Tube channel.
Following a start that was far from easy as Peterborough exerted early pressure, Toby felt he adjusted well with support from the more experienced defenders.
“In the first 15 minutes I felt the tempo was quick and I was blowing a bit! But then it dropped and I thought I got into the game more. The senior players helped me through by talking to me about my positioning. They played a diamond and sometimes it can be a bit hard to adjust to that, but they talked me through the game and helped a lot. The manager said just to double up on the sides because they were playing a narrow formation. I tried to get forward when I could.
“The academy is doing really well at the moment. Mark Robinson is pushing the Under-18s on into the Under-21s and Alan Reeves is doing a good job; he is putting our names forward for the manager, who is trusting us. I am just trying to knuckle down, keep trying to secure a spot until the end of the season, and see where it can take me.”