Luke O’Neill has explained why he turned down other clubs to join Wimbledon after he became our fourth summer signing.
The 27-year-old was pointed in the right direction by Scott Wagstaff, who he played alongside at Gillingham, and Luke was also very impressed by Wimbledon’s end to 2018/19.
“There were a few clubs interested in me, but this one worked out best for me and my family,” said Luke. “It’s a family club. Hopefully I can have a good career here and the club moving to a new stadium was also a factor. I played here last season and the fans get right behind the boys. For the first 30 minutes we were under pressure a lot of pressure, but the keeper made a mistake and it changed the game. When I’ve played against Wimbledon it’s always been a tough game.
“I talked to Dean Parrett and he couldn’t speak more highly about the club. Once I spoke to ‘Deano’ and ‘Waggy’ it made my decision a bit easier.”
Luke also talked about the attributes that he hopes to bring to Wimbledon’s squad and all of our supporters will hope he can maintain his reputation as something of a free-kick specialist.
“At Gillingham I took a couple and they went in! I fancy getting on set pieces and if I’m asked to do it I will. The manager maybe wants me to bring a bit more experience and maybe I can chip in with a few goals and assists. There is a young group of boys raring to go here I can’t wait to get started.
“First of all, you need to be a good defender and I feel that I am a good defender. I feel that I’ve also got the ability to get forward and get good crosses into the box and also link-up with other players to get them involved.
“I think every year at this level is a challenge, it probably gets stronger each season. There are some big teams in this league for next season, so it will be interesting, but it’s not a challenge that we will hide away from. After the manager came in the team did brilliantly, I had kept an eye on it because ‘Waggy’ is here. I know the team did really well at the back end of the season so hopefully that can continue into the new season.”
Click on the link below for the full interview with Luke.