Mitch Pinnock’s rejuvenated form has put into perspective his rise back into the professional game, as he seeks to take his big second chance.
Having worked in the building trade, our midfielder Mitch appreciates what it takes to build on solid foundations if you want to be successful.
Mitch has bounced back after a spell out of the side and his form has been a contributory factor to Wimbledon picking up six points from our last two league matches. Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s visit from Portsmouth, Mitch still appreciates the graft he put in to life in order to reap the rewards now.
“When I was younger I was a pro at Southend and it didn’t work out for whatever reason,” said Mitch. “I played semi-pro, but it was only training at night times so I had to get in the ‘real world’.
“I did a bit of building, a bit of screening to start off with - which I really hated! Then I went into dry-lining. I met some great people through it, but now instead of going to the site each morning at 6.30 am, I’m playing football every day. I realise how much of a luxury it is. It gave me an appreciation and hopefully I can do the work on the pitch to thank our supporters for coming.”
Midfield partner Anthony is also appreciative towards our management for giving him the time to recover properly from injury and reach peak form again for The Dons.
The experienced midfielder can't wait to face Portsmouth on Saturday after making an impressive return from the injury that sidelined him at the start of this season.
“I needed a little time to get over the injury,” said Anthony. “I then had a couple of setbacks along the way and initially it was a bit tentative to put me back in straight away, because obviously they didn’t want me to break down again.
“At the time I wasn’t happy about that because I was desperate to play, but looking back now it was definitely the right decision.
"Portsmouth have had a difficult start, I don't think they are the same team as last year, they've lost a few players, but for us it's important we capitalise on that. We want to take our run of good form into this and get the points."
You can see much more from the duo - where they also talk about the influence of Scott Wagstaff this season, the positive effect Aaron Ramsdale had on Mitch, Woody’s trust in last week’s hat –trick hero Marcus Forss and their thoughts on Saturday’s home game against Portsmouth.
Click on the link below, via our official You Tube channel, for an interview with Mitch Pinnock and Anthony Wordsworth.
Go to Squad Update one and two on our website if you missed our interviews with Glyn Hodges yesterday.