Scott Wagstaff is aiming to spark more FA Cup magic this season after playing a pivotal part in Wimbledon’s run to the last-16 in 2018/19.
Scott’s two goals against West Ham last season helped earn a famous 4-2 win against Premier League opposition and it led to him fulfilling a rather unusual cup request from the BBC as he dyed his trademark beard blue and yellow!
After creating national headlines last season, Scott helped to keep Wimbledon in League One and he believes that a cup victory against Doncaster can help lift the club again after a difficult start to the season.
“We have a tough game against Doncaster in the first round, but we are at home and we will be ready to go for it,” said Scott, who has captained Wimbledon recently due to Will Nightingale’s absence. “It’s a similar squad that we have now, so we can definitely kick on and hopefully have another cup run.
“Going back to the basics is important. If you go back to the basics you are going to win more games than you lose. We had a lot of tough losses earlier this season, but hopefully it has turned now. We’ve been making our own luck recently by scoring early goals, but we’ve also kept going until the end to score late on too. We’ve expressed ourselves a bit more under the manager now. We are enjoying it a lot more.”
On that memorable night when The Dons slayed West Ham and the press exposure that followed, Scott added: “It was mad for me last season and I didn’t think it would blow up as much as it did! I enjoyed every minute of it and it was a good bit of publicity for the club. I still get stick from the boys now about it (dyeing the beard), and there are a few sly digs! It was all good fun at the time.
“The FA Cup brings back great memories. I am never going to forget the West Ham game. Personally, it was one of the best performances I’ve ever produced. It was one of the best days of my career, I really enjoyed it, and if we can get another cup run going it will be great. The overall performance that the boys put in to beat West Ham was fantastic.
“I said to my parents straight after that I had never previously scored two goals in a game, but then I went and did it against a Premier League team! It was also on the TV as well, so it was brilliant. It was a great moment and I will never forget it. I was part of a Gillingham team that once played against Spurs in the cup, but last season and the fifth round was the furthest that I’d progressed in the competition.”
Speaking about skippering Wimbledon this season, Scott said: “It’s a great honour for me to be captain. You have to try to be a leader for the boys on the pitch, especially because we have quite a young group. We want Will back in the mix again, but at the moment I’m really enjoying it. Running out every week and leading the boys at this club is a privilege, and it’s a job I’m proud to do.
“Will leads by example. He’s always working hard and doing extra at the training ground. I think a lot of the lads look up to him because of that. He’s a vocal sort, but he’s a bit quieter than a few of the other lads! Since I joined the club, Will’s been brilliant. He did a great job last season in helping us to stay up, and the main thing is that we want him to be out on the pitch again. We all want him out there, and hopefully he’ll be back soon.”
“Since I joined Wimbledon, I’ve really enjoyed my time here. The fans have been brilliant to me since I came in. I want to make sure that, with the way that I play, they are proud of my performances. It’s a good group of players to be around. Hopefully, the good feeling continues and we can try to build something now.”
You can get your ticket to watch The Dons take on Doncaster this Saturday by clicking on the link below.
