Wimbledon fans have helped play an important role in keeping Aaron Ramsdale in top form during the run-in to the season.
‘Rambo’ performed more heroics in the Dons’ goal last night to keep our League One survival hopes very much alive, following the 2-2 draw at Luton Town. Work on the training ground paid off when the young England keeper pulled off a magnificent save from a deflected Andrew Shinnie shot.
Members of the Blue and Yellow club donated funds for a piece of equipment that not only benefitted Aaron, but will be of use to all of our goalkeepers for years to come.
“I want to say a big thank you to the Blue and Yellow Club,” said First-team Goalkeeper Coach Ashley Bayes. “They kindly donated the money for me to purchase the equipment and I also want to say thanks to James Holman from Pro Deflect, who supplies goalkeeper training equipment.”
The Blue and Yellow Club was founded in 2012, with the intention of raising funds for the club’s playing budget. Membership is £1000 per year and so far has raised in the region of £200,000.
“I did a presentation to the Blue and Yellow Club earlier on in the season,” said Ashley. “They’d asked if I needed any equipment. Previously they’ve donated funds for air mannequins, a GPS system for Sports Scientist Jason Moriarty and now I’ve purchased something called the ‘Matrix!’
“It recreates situations that happen in games and adds realism to scenarios. The big version is called the ‘Matrix’ and it looks a bit like a fishing net!
“It’s great for the sessions; we work on reactions and deflections around the box and our angles. It’s a good piece of equipment.
“You get shots that fly in during games that might clip bodies or legs. We’re just trying to recreate where they get set for the shot and it’s about getting their reactions, speed and timing right.
“We have fun with it, but there’s also a serious element. It’s been interesting and I have had it for a few weeks now. We’ve used it quite a few times and the goalkeepers are getting some good work out of it. They enjoy it, but I wouldn’t say they enjoy it when it flies up and hits them in the face! It’s all part of it and getting in the way of the ball.
“It’s a big step forward for the goalkeeping department and I can’t thank the Blue and Yellow Club enough.”
You can see how ‘Bayzo’, Aaron and our goalkeepers have been putting the new equipment to good use in the short video below, from a training session earlier this month.