Harry Pell took in the sights of our fantastic stadium this week and vowed to help the Dons achieve again after moving back to South London.
It has been seven years since the towering midfielder last turned out in yellow and blue and in that time many things have changed both for Harry and the club itself.
The 30-year-old has since gone on to rack up plenty of appearances at Football League level as well as becoming a captain during his time at Colchester United, whilst the Dons have returned home.
Keeping all this in mind, Harry felt that now was the best time for him to return to the club that he left in 2015 in order to take on a new challenge.
Watch Harry's interview in full on our Official YouTube channel:
“I feel it’s a good time for me to come back down to League Two and hopefully be challenging at the right end of the table,” he said. “The gaffer and I have spoken about his plan for the team and where I fit in that. I’m really relishing the opportunity to get my teeth stuck into it. I can’t wait to get amongst the boys and help the team to achieve.
“We’ve had a good start and I’m looking forward to stamping my bit of authority on the team. I want to add a few goals – I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve heard some great things about the character of the group. I’ve met all the staff today and they’re really welcoming. It’s a powerful thing when you join that up with all the supporters that we have behind us.
“I could have gone elsewhere. I could have stayed in League One or gone to Scotland. When you step back from it – although I’m 30 – I like to think that in the two years or more that I’m here, we can be successful.”
The midfielder joined us in very different circumstances last time he was here, signing as one of Neal Ardley’s first additions during a January transfer window shake up as we sought to preserve our Football League status in 2013.
It has been a long time since but Harry still maintains great memories from the experience overall which ended with the famous ‘Survival Saturday’ game against Fleetwood Town.
“I feel like I’ve played a tiny part in the club’s massive history. I got brought in when we were in the bottom two,” he recalled. “Our objective was to stay in the league – I remember the scenes at the end of that season with the fans on the pitch with the likes of Alan Bennett and Gary Alexander. They were great memories, it was fantastic.
“The club has grown since then, walking out onto that pitch (at Plough Lane) is absolutely fantastic. What it has now in terms of facilities can only put the team in good stead. It’s also nice to be close to my family.
“I was only a kid when I was here before and I’ve come back as a man. My game has changed - I’ve definitely added goals to my game, I can play in a few different positions – I can play as an eight, as a 10 and I even had a stint up front last year.”
Looking ahead, Harry understandably hopes to progress with Wimbledon and has a specific target in his sights as he looked to send a message to our fans.
“There was no pressure to leave Accrington – we had a successful season overall and I feel like I played my part in that. I scored eight goals and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But this is the right time for me to drop down and hopefully progress with Wimbledon. We all mention the P word (promotion) and that’s something I want to get my teeth stuck into.
“I’d like to think they’ll (the fans) know what to expect. I will leave everything out on the pitch. I know we’ve got some talented young and experienced players and I can’t wait to be part of that mix.”