By Chris Slavin
Liam Trotter was on target for the first time since February 2017 yesterday and the midfielder said that he must start chipping in with more goals to help Wimbledon climb the table.
The midfielder got off the mark for the Dons in the 2-0 victory against Southend – his first since a goal for Bolton in a 4-1 win against Walsall almost a year ago.
Speaking during a post-match interview for iFollow, Liam said: "We need to start scoring more goals, especially me. We need to start contributing as we cannot just rely on Cody and Lyle to get our goals. My last goal was for Bolton against Walsall, a 25-yard volley, but it's been a while. I will take it whatever way they come.
"I am really happy because it was a really good team performance. We did not give a lot away, we really pressed them, and worked very hard, considering we had a game 48 hours before. Physically, that's really tough, you could see it in their team. They seemed to struggle. That's a positive towards the fitness coach and the management staff here. They kept us fit so that we could go again and we managed to do that."
As an experienced player who has been involved in promotion-winning squads and teams fighting at the other end of tables, Liam feels that consistency is key to finding wins on a regular basis.
"The main components are hard work, effort, and togetherness as a team," added Liam. "A lot of things fell for us (against Southend), including with my goal and Tom's. Sometimes they fall for you and other times they don't. The important thing is that you keep plugging away when things are not falling for you. You have to keep going to turn the tide and I think that will be key for us during the rest of the season.
"When I was at Millwall we had a good first season, but the next three were mainly fighting relegation and trying to stay up, similar to at Bolton. There are a lot of things we have to do. We are on the right track and we've not been far off the track all season. Everyone knows there have been a lot of games this season when we've been the better team, but come away with the wrong result. The important thing now is to get over the line when we produce good performances and get the wins.
"I have settled in really well here. I feel a part of the team, a part of the club, which is an important thing. I am really enjoying it now. We have a good bunch of lads and everyone works hard. We've had our struggles so far this season, particularly finding that consistency more than anything. We've had some really good games and really poor games. During a tough period over Christmas we've shown a lot more consistency. The biggest positive is that Egli, Callum, Harry, Tom, and Will all came back into the team and showed the quality of our squad. It's not easy being out of the team, you have to keep yourself fit and sharp, and they have all done that."
The full interview with Liam, plus Neal Ardley's post-match reaction, and extended highlights, are all on our iFollow channel.