In-form striker Ali Al-Hamadi will be targeting a third goal in succession when third place Stevenage visit tomorrow night.
Having scored his first in Wimbledon colours in our last home game with a header against Hartlepool, the Iraqi international notched an impressive second at Gillingham on Saturday. Staying behind after training sessions has helped our January transfer window signing to find his goalscoring touch.
“It’s good to see some of the work I’ve been doing behind-the-scenes come to fruition,” said Ali after Monday’s training session in New Malden.
“Hopefully I can keep it going and help the team out. We would have liked to have won those games, especially as we scored first in both matches, but it’s good as a striker to hit the ground running. I just want to kick on now and help the team out in as many ways as possible.
“Staying behind has helped me a lot. As a striker, it’s necessary. You have to work on finishing and there isn’t a point when you think you’ve cracked it. One of the hardest things to do is to score a goal, so for me it’s about constant work - every day improving - and not getting too high or too low. Taking it as it comes has been my motto really.”
Another positive that came from Saturday’s game at Priestfield was the return of long-serving defender Will Nightingale, who has been on the injury-list since September. Will has also been a big factor in helping Ali to settle into life with us.
“I really admire him,” added Ali. “He’s been a massive help. He’s just a great guy and a really good leader, both on and off the pitch. He sets an example to the boys in how he carries himself and operates on a day-to-day basis.
“It was a tough game for him to come back into on the weekend, but I thought he did really well. It’s good to have him back as well.
“People like that are hard to come by in football nowadays. For me, I love good people, he is one of those guys that you gravitate towards because of his energy and how he is as a person. When you first join a club, you need to invest as much time as possible getting to know everyone, settle in, and learn about the history of the Club.”
Even though the win versus leaders Leyton Orient was before Ali’s time with us, he can see how well prepared we are to face another one of the leading lights in League Two - the challenge of Stevenage awaiting on Tuesday night.
“Anyone who has been a football player knows that being on home turf plays a massive part. If the fans give us that little bit extra, we as players then try to return it because it helps us massively. Hopefully we’ll be another good match for them tomorrow.”
Listen to a 10 minute interview with Ali Al-Hamadi ahead of Tuesday evening’s clash below, via the link to our official YouTube channel.