Luke Jenkins’ goal against Barrow not only fulfilled a lifelong dream for our defender but also wrote another chapter into the proud history of our Academy.
The centre-back fired home just five minutes into his league debut, joining a list of three other graduates who have also achieved the same feat.
Toyosi Olusanya was the first inductee back in May 2016 when he slotted home a penalty against Newport County. Then came Ayoub Assal almost five years later, with the Moroccan scoring a vital equaliser away to Shrewsbury Town.
Last but by no means least is Jack Currie. Our popular left-back scored a towering header on the opening day of the current season, topping off our win over Gillingham in style.
ANOTHER MILESTONE MOMENT
When Crystal Palace’s Joe Whitworth made his Premier League debut against Brighton earlier this month, he not only became the the youngest goalkeeper in the English top flight since 2005 but also became the first ever Academy Player of the AFC Wimbledon era to feature at the same level when we became professional in 2011.
Joe represented us until the age of 12, before he was transferred to Palace in 2016. His appearance in the Premier League should act as a huge inspiration for the boys in our programme and serves as another landmark that we can all be proud of.
WORK EXPERIENCE/LOANS UPDATE
The non-league deadline day proved to be a busy one for us as we finalized some important loan moves for some of our Under 18s.
Remi Onabanjo and Mathias Tepe have both joined Tooting & Mitcham United. Our strong relationship with Corinthian-Casuals also continues in the form of Jola Lahan’s move to King George’s Field.
Meanwhile Paris Lock has linked up with former Wimbledon hero Danny Kedwell at Chatham Town whilst Morgan Williams has headed south to Eastbourne Borough.
It’s important to remember that everyone’s journeys is different and needs to be mapped out accordingly. If we look at some of the examples in our first team, Josh Davison (Enfield Town) and Harry Pell (on loan at Hastings) were both playing at Isthmian Premier Division level at the age of 19. Whereas Diallang Jaiyesimi was just 17 when he was handed his debut at Dulwich Hamlet at the same level.
For some players the higher levels of non-league football are great as it provides the suitable challenge point for where they are at and what they need to develop. For others, if the challenge point is pitched too high too soon, it could mean pivotal development moments are missed and could actually set a player back in terms of improvements.
Some need to experience ‘success’ in order to hone their attributes, an example would be a striker who could benefit more from playing at a level where he has service and has a high repetition of attacking actions.
Would a goalkeeper develop the skills he needs in a team that’s always defending and facing shots or in a team that dominates its opponents and concedes very few chances? These are the questions that we are always looking to answer.
THE POKÉMON FUTSAL YOUTH CUP
This month our Under-15s navigated themselves through the qualifying heats of the Under-16s FA Pokémon Futsal Youth Cup and have now qualified for the regional tournament, which is due to take place in June.
The national futsal competition is open to clubs across England, providing them with the opportunity to progress to a Regional Tournament and then the National Finals.
We introduced futsal to our programme about 18 months ago and this is the first tournament we have entered.
Futsal is an exciting, fast-paced small-sided football game that originated from South America in the 1930s. The nature of the game places a large emphasis on technical skill and ability in situations of high pressure, and is subsequently an excellent breeding ground for football competencies that can be translated into the 11-a-side format of the game.
Many of world class footballers played futsal in their youth and credit it with supporting their footballing development. Players of the calibre of Pele, Zico, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Lionel Messi and more played and enjoyed Futsal.
Under-16s Futsal squad: Hasib Saed (Coach); Calum Mathieson, Kiayon Moore, Justin Clarke, Jack McGibbon, Lucas Green, Eterne Djedje, Tom Carvalho Norris, Sam Goma-Weinberg, Stanley Williamson, Sean Soukou, Liam McNicholas
DEVELOPING THE PERSON
As our young Dons strive to develop as athletes, it’s imperative that they also remain focused on life away from the grass, continuing to personally develop through our Life Skills programme.
This month saw The PFA visit the Scholars, providing them with an insight into the benefits of being a PFA member and how they can access the many services available.
The players learnt and understood how they can unlock the plethora of resources that The PFA have to offer such as:
- Football Coaching Qualifications
- Education Grants and Bursaries
- Free Online Courses
- Injury Support
Over the course of the season we provide age specific Life Skills workshops throughout the Academy from a number of different support organisations which enables our players to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life.