Isaac Ogundere refused to give up on his pursuit of becoming a professional footballer, even when he was released by Brentford and took time away from the game.
Our former Under-18s captain, who lifted the Youth Alliance Cup almost two years ago, has grasped his first team opportunity under Johnnie Jackson, and he’s determined to play a part for the Dons in Saturday’s derby against Sutton.
“My target is to keep the shirt, that’s all,” said Isaac. “You must go into every game like it’s your last and I’m a big believer of not getting comfortable. Don’t think that you’ve cracked it and you can take your foot off the peddle. It’s now about keeping my foot down every single game."
“It was never in my mind to do anything else," said Isaac. "Certainly, Mum and Dad really helped push me through to becoming a footballer and where I am now. They also stuck by me when I wasn’t so confident, when I was younger, and told me to keep on going, and they always had belief in me. Even if I wasn’t where I am now, I’d still be trying to get as high as possible.
“I always believed in myself to get back, as I’ve always been a hard worker. I went to a couple of clubs after leaving Brentford, but I was young, and my confidence was low, so I took a couple of years out and went back to playing Sunday league football. That was a tough time for me.
“But Wimbledon picked me up from Hayes and Yeading’s under-18s, where it was a bit more physical. I was playing a couple of years up from my age and they scouted me from there. I was here for quite a bit, initially, before I got signed. There were a lot of other players coming in – so it was quite challenging, but in the end I got my scholarship.
“When it comes to a derby game, there are no friends. We’re playing for us; we’re playing for the win. It’s a derby and we do it for the fans. Growing up, playing against Sutton in the academy games, it was important because they’re the closest team to us.”
Like Jack Currie did with Eastbourne Borough last season, Isaac pinpointed a particular loan spell in non-league football that really helped him kick on with his game – under former Wimbledon favourite Sammy Moore (pictured above) at Potters Bar Town.
“Sammy Moore was one of the biggest influences on me last year,” said Isaac. “He put trust in me, after I’d had a tough time at Leatherhead. I went through playing for so many different managers and with so many different players there. Every new manager I had to show what I was about again, so it was really tough to put your mark on things.
“But when I went over to Potters Bar, he played me every game – even without seeing me play. He just trusted me straight away. I played the first game, and he kept on trusting me and that gave me a good stepping stone to where I am now.”
This season, “Ogs” feels he has benefitted greatly from Chris Gunter, a player who he can be up against for a place in the starting line-up.
“He’s an international player and one to look up to,” said Isaac. “He’s always giving me little pointers, little tips, especially when playing in front of him. He’s always talking to me and helping me out. He’s played around 700 games, so he knows what it’s like to play week in, week out. I’m learning from the best and carrying on from there.”
Watch our extensive, in-depth interview with Isaac Ogundere below, via the link to our official YouTube channel.