Under-18s Head Coach Simon Clark is building up the next batch of future stars – and he believes tonight’s FA Youth Cup meeting with Leeds United is the perfect stage for our players to showcase their progress.
The Dons play host to the Whites in a 7pm kick-off, knowing that a victory would take us into round five of a competition that we have a great history in.
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Although Simon admits the task will be tough, he also made it clear that he feels anything is possible if the team gives the best version of themselves.
“I’m very excited for the challenge,” he said. “They’re regarded as one of the top 20 academies in the country, they produce Premier League players and multi-million pound internationals. Good players want to play in the big games and I believe our squad is prepared for what they bring to the table.
“We average 400 to 500 passes per match but we’re expecting to have a little bit less against Leeds. It’s about the work we do in the key moments, we don’t want to come away feeling we haven’t given our best. We’re AFC Wimbledon, we want to give them a tough game.”
All of our previous fixtures in the cup have been played at home up until this point – an advantage that has clearly paid dividends.
And with our loyal fans set to provide more fantastic backing, Simon was quick to emphasise the impact that's provided for our Academy staff and players this season.
“It has been wonderful to play our games at Plough Lane, we’ve been embraced by every section of the football club. It’s great for our players to play at the stadium, particularly as I’m certain that many of them will play for our first-team in the years to come.
“It’s tremendous for us to pit our players against others that are playing at a higher level. I always tell our players that they shouldn’t put a ceiling on where they can go. You only have to look at the amount of players who have left our club and gone on to bigger and better things to realise there are no limits to what you can achieve in the game. It’s good to have players in and around the first-team to show what can be achieved."