Shane McLoughlin has missed having his number one fan watching him in match action this season, but he’s thriving in the right wing back role for Wimbledon.
Shane’s uncle David has been a Dons supporter for many years and he was particularly proud when his nephew signed for us in January 2019.
When the former Ipswich man joined us, he stated that his best position was central midfield, but he’s now made 42 appearances for the club with a lot of those being at right-back.
“At the start I took a bit of time to adjust to it, but I’m more comfortable there now. I’ve probably had about 20 games there, and I’ve built up a good partnership on that side with Luke, so I’m enjoying it.
“It felt pretty much like a second home to me after I came in here. I didn’t realise that I’d made that many appearances and hopefully I will get to 50 soon. When he could come my uncle was there every week watching me, but now he’s been tuning into iFollow and texting me before and after each game. He was very proud when I signed, so I think his pride is just going up, but I need to get a few more goals for him!”
“I’ve been trying to get free at the back stick more often and playing with wing-backs does encourage you to join in the attacks more, so hopefully there will be more to come.”
Shane believes that the squad built up a great team spirit during pre-season, but he knows that will be tested at Swindon tomorrow.
“I heard Callum talking about being down at Woodies (next to traning ground) in pre-season. It was a little bit different because when you are here (at the clubhouse) it’s split up a little bit with people in the gym, the physio room, and the changing rooms, but during the summer we were all together down there all day, which really helped to build a strong bond with the new lads.
“I think it will be a good game at Swindon, a tough game, and we are all looking forward to it. They’ve kept their form going from last season when they got promoted, but we are raring to go.”
“This season has been in and out with ups and downs. We should have taken more points than we have so far. Some performances have been good, we’ve been scoring a lot of goals, but we need to be more solid and tighter at the back.”
Shane can’t wait until 3 November with Wimbledon due to play back at Plough Lane for the first time in a new stadium.
“I’ve been down to Plough Lane twice - we had the team photo day and a tour recently,” added Shane. “It’s looking good and I think everyone will be buzzing for when we get there for the first match on 3 November. Everyone is pretty excited to get back there, but it’s just a shame that the fans cannot be there.”
In case you missed it, you can read our update with Glyn ahead of Swindon, or watch the full video interview below.