Will Nightingale has good memories of taking on Peterborough United in the past and he’s determined to produce his best for Wimbledon in the pursuit of points.
The towering defender produced a commanding performance at the back two years ago to help the Dons to all three points at the ABAX Stadium.
“That’s the only time I’ve played there, so I have good memories of that place with a clean sheet and a win, which was good. I think I came into the side with Chris Robertson that day, so we were both new coming into the team. We both did well. It’s a nice pitch there, I have good memories of playing there, so hopefully we can keep that going.
“I always prefer to play against the teams at the top of the table, I think I’ve always been like that. I think sometimes when you play against the teams lower down there can be sometimes a bit of complacency or maybe it’s a bit of a banana skin, but with this game away at Peterborough we’ve got nothing to lose really. We should be going there high on confidence after the win. We should have relieved a lot of stress after going without a win for so long. I think we are in a good place for it. We will go there and give it our all. Hopefully, we will have a lot of fans behind us and we will try to give them something back.”
Our home-grown defender is eager to keep developing at Wimbledon and he’s praised the impact of Steven Reid, who attended the same school as him, albeit at different times!
“The focus shouldn’t change, you should always know what you are here to do,” added Will. “We are here for a reason and that’s to bring the club as far forward as we can. I think Bass has come in and he’s been brilliant with all the boys. Obviously, we speak in the changing room and they all say how well he has done since making that transition. ‘Reidy’ has brought in some good stuff to the training field. I like some of the things he’s brought to the training field, simple stuff, but it seems to be giving us confidence to play. Steven is another local lad who went to my school (Richard Challoner, New Malden). We remember some of the same teachers that overlapped a little bit!
“This club is always evolving, it’s always looking to get to the next step in every department. I’ve loved my time here, ever since I joined as a kid, I live just down the road and I’m a local lad. My Mum and Dad love the club. The boys give me a bit of stick about them sometimes, just about how much they love it! This club means a lot to me, but we just have to kick-on now.
“This season it’s been a bit up and down for me. I started the first six league games and we got off to a good start really. We had good results in the first three games and in the next few we were unlucky. Then I had to pull myself out due to a neck injury. I don’t mind playing through pain, but it was affecting my performances, so I had to pull out. I thought I’d only miss a game or two, but I ended up missing six or seven, so I had to be patient. I had to work hard and knuckle down.
“I’ve managed to get back in the side, but we hit bad form, as we all know. It’s massive that we got the win against Southend, so I think we all have to start looking up now. I want to try to get back to playing at my best. I always try to give 100 per cent. Sometimes maybe I’ve got to not care as much. Maybe nerves can come into things because I want the win and I want the club to do well so badly. I’m going to try my hardest to get back to playing my best.”
The full interview with Will is available to watch on our iFollow channel.