AFC Wimbledon have moved quickly to bring in a new right-back with Luke O’Neill signing on the dotted line after leaving Gillingham.
Following the departure of Toby Sibbick, our manager Wally Downes wasted no time filling the gap with a player who has proven League One pedigree in recent seasons.
At the age of 27, Luke has plenty of experience at this level, making 90 appearances for Gillingham in the past two seasons and before that turning out for Southend United. During his time with The Gills, Luke scored seven goals, including a superb late equaliser last season at Kenilworth Road in a 2-2 against the League One Champions. As a free-kick specialist, Luke proved to be a thorn in Wimbledon’s side when he set-up Tom Eaves for Gillingham’s 4-2 win at the Cherry Red Records Stadium in April.
Speaking about the signing, Wally Downes said: “Luke has got very good delivery and he’s played a lot of games at this level. Luke even forced Barry Fuller from right-back to left-back and anyone who saw Barry play knows what a good player he is. He is very good going forward.
“When there was interest in Toby, that’s when we stepped up our interest in Luke. He was on our database and we moved quickly to make it happen. Luke is an older player, he has a bit more experience and that will certainly help us out at times with the young group that we’ve got. His knowledge of the game and his know-how about when to play the right ball will be invaluable to us.”
An England Under-17 international, Luke started his career at Leicester City, before spending three seasons with Burnley at a time when Kieran Trippier was the regular right-back.
Look out soon on our official website for a first interview with Luke after he signed for The Dons.