Jason Euell felt proud to wear the Dons badge again by getting a first taste of playing on the Plough Lane pitch after a hectic season in the Championship with Bristol City.
Still revered by our supporters for his goalscoring exploits during Wimbledon’s Premier League years, Jason returned to us for a second spell during the 2011/12 season, but he’s now involved in a completely different challenge as a first-team coach at Bristol City.
Speaking to us on Sunday due to his appearance in the Dons Legends versus Team Harvey charity match for our Foundation, Jason talked passionately about providing a platform for young talent to flourish – his own rise having started as an Academy player with us.
“I’ve always said it’s about giving players opportunities to fulfil their dreams,” Jason said. “With me going into development football as a coach, starting that at Charlton and now at Bristol City, and having gone through it myself as a player here at Wimbledon, I want to help the next generation of players to progress. I want to give them the most support and guidance that I can possibly offer them, so I’m always looking to help as much as I can for their careers.”
Jason had no hesitation in accepting the invite to make a Wimbledon return on Sunday – and he added that he’ll continue getting the boots out until his body can no longer cope.
“It’s only my third time at Plough Lane since it opened and it was my first time playing on the pitch, so it was a great occasion for me to do it.
“I felt good, I’ve always kept myself ticking over. I said in the changing room that you should only stop playing when you get to that point when you know you can’t do anything anymore, but I still do a bit during the week and join in with the boys.
“With football, there is always that competitive side and you really want to win! Knowing Harvey and his team, they were determined to win as well. I’ve played for his team as well at times, so when he called me and said I was playing against him he sounded quite disappointed! It was all about the occasion though and raising as much money as possible for the Foundation.”
In case you missed it, access our previous article on Sunday's charity match.