James O’Halloran has been rewarded for an impressive trial spell at AFC Wimbledon with a professional contract.
Following a string of promising displays for our development squad, James signed on the dotted line and he’s determined to grasp his opportunity to stake a claim for first-team football.
“I know about the history of the club, where it has come from, and about Wimbledon moving to a new stadium,” said James. “I am really enjoying it here and I think I’ve fitted in well. Everyone is very approachable. My ambition is to prove to the manager that I can be ready for first-team football. I just have to keep working hard. I’m in a new position now and it’s all about learning that role. I know that Neil Cox was a good full-back at the top level so I’m trying to learn as much as I can from him.
“I originally came here on trial as a left-winger, but the manager and Alan Reeves believe that I can offer something as a left-back, so I’ve converted to that position. At the moment, I’m enjoying getting used to the new role, but I played further forward against Portsmouth on Tuesday, so that was good too.
“I was on trial here for three weeks and I thought I played well in the Southend game. After that match I was offered a contract. I played in the game on Tuesday against Portsmouth and I managed to score and set-up one of Tom Wood’s goals. We played really well as a team and it was good to be a part of it all.”
James was previously at Maidstone United, where he made a name for himself after being capped at England schoolboy level.
Alan Reeves, who is pictured above with James, said: “He has come in and done well on trial. We like him. He is a left-back or left wing-back. James is a good dynamic player with a bit of everything: he has a good left foot, he is decent in the air, and he is a strong runner who likes to get forward. He defends the back post really well when he needs to do that. James deserves his opportunity.”