Omar Bugiel departed for Asian Cup duty with words of encouragement for his Wimbledon teammates that he leaves behind.
Our forward is bound for sunnier climes for duty with Lebanon, after his form in the first half of the season for the Dons earned him a return to the international scene. Omar was speaking after our rain soaked one-all draw at Forest Green, one of his previous clubs.
“We’re a team, everyone can step up,” said Omar. “We saw it at Portsmouth - people are going to play and take their opportunities.
“When Ali and I return from the competition, we’re going to have to fight for the shirt again. I’m sure the boys will be fine, stick together and get a few results along the way.”
Listen to the full interview with Omar below.
After an absence of a few years, Omar started to press his claims for an international recall after his memorable winner at Harrogate back in October - one of five goals Omar has scored for us since his summer arrival after leaving Sutton.
“I’ve been away for about two or three years from that team,” explained Omar. “The manager gave me a call and wanted me back, having followed me over the past few months.
“Straight away he wanted me to get involved, so hopefully this is an opportunity to go away and prove a point with Lebanon.”
Omar recognised the battling qualities of hosts Forest Green, now under the guidance of Troy Deeney, as the forward made his return to the New Lawn.
He joined them almost seven years ago and later that season earned a promotion to the Football League via the play-offs.
“We’ll take a point from here, it’s a tough place to come,” said Omar. “I don’t believe that some parts of the pitch were safe enough to play on, but it is what it is.
“They had a plan to stop us. They did a good job to stop that free-flowing football we play up front, which we've been successful with. We’ve just got to keep going and everything will be fine again.
“I signed my deal at Forest Green in 2017 and it’s a lovely community place, where people are so friendly. Even in the bar just now, I remembered people from the past. When I was here, we got promoted and they kicked on from there.
“Now they find themselves in a different position, but hopefully they’ll be all right, move forward, and get out of those relegation positions.”
Photos: Pro Sports Images.