The magic of the FA Cup certainly isn’t lost on our midfielder James Ball – with the 27-year-old having wrote himself into the history books as a previous top scorer in the famous competition!
It was during the 2019/20 season that ‘Bally’ banged in five goals to take him to the top of the charts – a great source of pride for someone who is well aware of the Dons’ cup pedigree and history.
Indeed it was our historic triumph in 1988 that really hit home to the Bolton-born player upon signing for Wimbledon last summer, a factor that he feels is of the upmost importance as we look to create more FA Cup history this season.
Ahead of our first round tie with Cheltenham Town, James discusses his best memories of the competition, moving from defence to midfield and even his dislike for the Tube as he adapts to London life!
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You finished as FA Cup top scorer in the 2019/20 season. How much did that mean to you and what are your memories of that time?
It was amazing! I was just unfortunate that it was the season that was played during COVID because it didn’t get as much publicity as it would have usually. It’s something that will always be in the record books for me.
In one of the games I scored four goals and they used to do a Player of the Round award – they used to award the winner with tickets to the cup final. However with all the games being behind closed doors there was no real reward for those achievements. So I didn’t get anything!
What does the FA Cup mean to you and what experiences did you have of it growing up?
It’s always been a tournament that I’ve done really well in. I’ve always scored a lot of goals in the FA Cup. During my time in non-league we always used to get to the first round, so that was always an achievement. I was at Northwich Victoria, we got to the second round and were 2-0 up against Northampton Town, but we ended up losing 3-2 in the last five minutes. We would’ve gone on to get another higher league club in the next round!
FA Cup aside I enjoyed the run we had in the Carabao Cup this season, beating Coventry City and pushing Chelsea all the way was fantastic. The FA Cup is a nice tournament to play in because you never know what you’re going to come up against next, it’s always a lottery.
I was a Bolton Wanderers fan growing up – the FA Cup was always something I watched, there’s so much history behind it. Every player that’s played in it has a story to tell about it.
Have you been involved in a cup upset?
I haven’t but I’ve always come close. At Solihull Moors we lost to Wigan Athletic in extra time of a replay. There’s never been massive upsets like playing against a Premier League club.
How inspiring is it to play for a Club that has won the FA Cup in the past?
It’s probably the first thing that everybody comes to know about Wimbledon. When you walk into the lobby at our stadium you see the FA Cup and you understand how big an achievement it is for a club like Wimbledon that has been through so much.
To be playing in a cup that we’ve won is something quite special, I sensed it when I first signed here. Even people who aren’t Wimbledon fans know about it.
When you started out as a defender, how did you know that you wanted to move further forward?
I was at Bolton Wanderers as a kid and I was always quite risky with how I played out from the back as a defender. I would take risks that other people wouldn’t and that brought about the lads joking that I played like David Luiz! I’ve always enjoyed that side of the game, risk taking.
There was a point when the manager felt I could do that role higher up the pitch, so he moved me further forwards. I started off in the middle of a back three and then before I knew it I was in the centre of the midfield. You start chipping in with one or two goals and it evolves very quickly.
This is now where I’m going to play, it’s my position and I’m trying to make it my own. I hope I can carry on impacting games and scoring goals at Wimbledon.
That’s really interesting. If you did play at centre-back again, would you still be as used to it as you were as a younger player?
I did play there for Solihull in that cup tie against Wigan. I played really well actually – the manager at the time, Neal Ardley, who was obviously here at Wimbledon, told me he felt I did a great job of it. I told him in the build-up that I could play there and that I didn’t see it as too much of a big deal.
If called upon again I would willingly do it. You never know what might happen! To be honest I’ll do anything to be out on the pitch, I will always put the team first.
How has football changed since your first started?
The game is always changing, there’s always new styles and people who want to reinvent the wheel. It’s club to club, you go to one club that might play long ball and another that wants to build out from the back. It’s always different.
The technology in the game has moved on leaps and bounds. It’s all very stats based now. You look at VAR in the Premier League. It’s all changing every week.
When you’re involved in the game you just learn to adapt to these things, everyone is always expecting things to change so you have to be prepared to ensure you’re not too shocked when something happens.
It’s changed a lot from when I was a kid but it’s still just as fun as it ever was and I’m still loving it!
What do you make of the amount of added time that we have now?
I’m torn on it really. It makes sense because if you’re the team chasing the game and the other team is slowing it down, you want it added on. But if you’re on the other side of that dynamic you don’t want it added on. The only thing everyone wants is consistency from the officials. As long as there is the same method behind it, no one will ever complain.
Do you come from a football family?
They all live football because I play it for a living. My Dad is a big Manchester United fan, he’s always been the one that gives me encouragement to pursue and maintain my career in the game. My Mum is supportive as well but he is the main football person in the family.
When I was younger I was really good at tennis, as was my family, so that’s another thing that I could’ve pursued further. We’re a sporty family.
They were in the crowd at the Chelsea game. It’s something we won’t forget in a rush! I got Enzo Fernández’s shirt at the end, it’s going to go up in my games room at home. When he came on as a sub we were all a bit tired anyway – you’re looking and they’re bringing on a World Cup winner!
There’s players that we played against in that game that on TV don’t necessarily look like they’re world class but when you play against them you realise that they really are something. That was the big difference I noticed.
At our level you get players who are one or the other – you’re either a really good athlete or you might be technically gifted. The ones that play at the top level have both and a bit extra – they are completely rounded.
How different is living down south to up north?
It’s very different! It’s not easy to get somewhere in 10 minutes round here, going anywhere takes a long time because of the traffic. Living in Manchester allowed me to get everywhere in roughly half an hour, down here half an hour takes me from the bottom of my road to the top of it!
I’m getting used to it! You have to plan a lot more when you live in London because it’s bigger than you think.
Have you been on the Tube yet?
Don’t get me started on the Tube! I get on the Tube after being freezing cold outside and then I’m boiling onboard. I can never judge it right! That’s one think I can’t stand – when I get hot I lose my head! I can’t function. I try to get Ubers everywhere but they’re so expensive!
Kevin Davies is your agent. How much has he helped you with your career?
He’s helped me massively. He was Bolton captain when I was just breaking through. He was someone everyone looked up to, especially for me being a supporter of the club. He was the main man. Having the chance to work with him has taken me on to the next level.
I’ve previously had bad luck with agents in the past, some cowboys who have looked to ripped me off. I was under contract with an agent that tried to do me over and Kevin came along and saved me really.
I’ll only work with him for the rest of my career, he’s just a good bloke. If you have a good relationship with someone in that position, it goes a long way. He knows football having been in the game, he played at the top level for years and years and represented England. To have someone like that in my corner is priceless.
You haven’t started as many games as you may have liked. How do you take to the challenge of looking to get back into the side?
I signed quite late in pre-season, so the manager already had his team pretty much set and sorted for the season ahead – I just happened to be a later addition. So I knew it wouldn’t be straightforward, I knew I wouldn’t walk into the team straight away and that I have to earn my place.
In the games that I have played I feel I’ve done well in them. We’ve been winning in two of them and then unfortunately gone to draw them. I feel I’ve been training well and that my performance levels are good.
I’m just being patient and waiting for my next chance. Hopefully it’s just round the corner, you never know when it’s going to come. Last time it was because two of the lads got injured in the space of 10 minutes.
I think I was unfortunate to come out when Marns (Armani Little) and Reevesy (Jake Reeves) got back fit but that’s football and the manager has decisions to make. Ultimately those boys didn’t lose their places because of bad performances, it was because they got injured – so it was completely fair enough that they come back in.
I don’t grumble too much, I keep going, keep working hard and I’m sure my opportunities will come. Another thing to mention is that I was fortunate to play away in the tie at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, which is something I won’t forget.
PICS: Pro Sports Images