With his old club Bradford City up next on Saturday, Jake Reeves has spoken about a career-defining period in his life.
Now aged 30, Jake is flourishing with the Dons once again and thriving as captain - a far cry from a time at Bradford when he feared his career was over.
However, it was an experience that made Jake thankful to be a professional footballer and determined to make the most of it.
"We had a good first season in League One at Wimbledon and I think we should have pushed higher, but Bradford had just missed out on the play-offs to get into the Championship," Jake recalled. "The main reason for leaving was trying to push on and achieve promotion into the Championship with Bradford, who are a huge club and had shown they could be really competitive in League One.
"I started off really well, carrying on from where I had left off at Wimbledon, but there were a few issues behind the scenes with the owner and the manager. They didn’t get on, but Stuart McCall kept that away from us well. I was injured for both matches against Wimbledon as I was only training on Fridays and taking drugs to get through games. It just got to the point when I couldn’t play anymore and I was out for two years."
But there was salvation to come for Jake's football career, thanks to the help of a world-renowned surgeon.
"For a year and a half we tried everything and I couldn’t physically make any progress, but I went to see a surgeon called Ulrike Muschaweck in London - she works all over the world. She carried out an operation that I had previously - on my groin – and I’ve never looked back since. Determination to not have my career ended prematurely was the main factor.
"It did cross my mind that I would have to look for something else during my time out, particularly as my partner gave birth to a boy. You know that you have to provide for your family and I was thinking, ‘if I’m nowhere near it when my contract ends, it could be over’. Luckily enough, I got back and played the last 19 games and I haven’t look back since.
"That spell out made me appreciate my life as a footballer more and to be grateful for the career that I have. Some players have to retire early and I’m very thankful that didn’t happen to me, but I’m also determined to play for as long as I possibly can."
Leadership is a quality that Jake has had since he was young - and it's something he's certainly putting to good use this season.
"At any age I’ve always strived to help," added Jake. "Even when I was a young player in the first-team squad at Brentford I would always talk to the lads a couple of years younger than me. I was very fortunate to benefit from the experiences of senior players who I played with at Brentford as they passed on important information, and I’m certainly trying to do that now as captain at Wimbledon."
The full in-depth interview with Jake will be in Saturday's matchday programme and it's a very interesting read. Our midfielder reveals why he's inspired to play for as long as he possibly can and what he does to wind down away from football.