“The opportunity arose to come back home, so here I am!”
The words of Jake Reeves on Wednesday afternoon as he took in the surroundings of Plough Lane. A player adored by many a Wimbledon fan, it’s a move which feels right. A third spell now beckons for the midfielder as he looks to build on his existing legacy.
From first arriving as a 19-year-old on loan, to becoming a key cog in our rise to the third tier, Jake knows what it means to wear yellow and blue and was yesterday welcomed back with open arms.
Here we’ve gathered together a collection of stories and facts about the man himself.
Welcome home Jake!
THIRD TIME LUCKY
Upon the arrival of Jake for his first permanent spell with the Dons in 2015, our then manager Neal Ardley admitted that it was third time lucky, having twice failed to bring the playmaker to Kingsmeadow. Neal also remarked that he was “devastated” when ‘Reevesy’ was unexpectedly recalled from loan by Brentford in the winter of 2012.
KEY MAN
Jake played 3,904 minutes during our 2015/16 promotion season, with only Dannie Bulman (3,935), Paul Robinson (4,354) and Barry Fuller (4,620) earning more.
THE WOLFPACK
Speaking to our official website back in January of this year, Jake revealed how the name ‘Wolfpack’ became associated with the team that took us into League One:
“The nickname came from Callum Kennedy and Darius Charles. The newer version of Jungle Book came out in the cinema and there was a speech in it about the Wolfpack that Darius famously recited in our play-off game against Accrington Stanley away. It was hilarious but it holds great memories for us.”
ONCE A DON, ALWAYS A DON
Jake, Callum and Darius also share in the fact that they have all taken in three separate playing spells with the Dons since our return to the Football League.
BOUNCING BACK
A Charlton Athletic fan as a boy, our midfielder had a couple of trials at the Valley when he was 15, but was deemed not big enough to play for the club.
A TRANSFER TRAVESTY
Naturally Jake’s idol was an Addick, with the 29-year-old previously admitting to be “raging” when Scott Parker departed for Chelsea in 2004 – “I wasn’t happy at all, I ripped up his poster on the wall and all sorts!”
With Jake on board, it could be an exciting campaign ahead and we've sold 3,000 Season Tickets so far. There's still time to snap one up before the Early Bird Window closes - on 31 May.
Access our designated Season Tickets page for more information.