Dons boss Mark Robinson on why he is taking a big risk to pick the youngest team in the Football League kick-off tomorrow

BY EDMUND BRACK

AFC Wimbledon head coach Mark Robinson says that patience will be required while the youngest team in the Football League gel – but he added: “once it clicks, it will be really exciting.”

Robinson is heading into his first full season in charge at Plough Lane after becoming head coach at the end of February.

He took over with Wimbledon firmly immersed in the relegation battle – but the club’s revival following Robinson’s appointment was remarkable.

The 56-year-old, who had spent 16 years with the club taking up roles within the academy before being appointed the first team’s head coach, masterminded the Dons’ survival.

He won plaudits along the way for their eye-catching results and exhilarating performances, scoring 18 goals in their last seven matches – and recording a six-game unbeaten run towards the end of the season.

Ahead of his first full season in charge and before the campaign begins at Doncaster Rovers tomorrow, Robinson told the South London Press: “I have really enjoyed the pre-season – the lads have bought into everything we have done. I am really looking forward to Saturday. I can’t wait now. Pre-season has felt quite long, so we’re raring to go.”

The Dons have failed to win a single game in the build-up to their sixth consecutive season in the third tier of English football But Robinson believes the results are not an accurate representation of where his side is really at.

He said: “I have had pre-seasons before in the youth team where you have had a great pre-season, results-wise, and it comes to the first game of the season, and you lose. In some ways, that makes you feel worse because you thought you were in a really great place.

“We would have liked to have scored more goals.But the way we have done pre-season means that we have been mixing the squads and putting young players in there. I would have liked to have seen more cohesion, but I am already confident that going into the first game, it will all start to come together.

“Having a young squad as well, we realise that it might take a little bit of time, but I am seeing good signs all the time in training – everyone’s going to have to be a little bit patient with them.

“Some might hit the ground running straight away, and others might need more time, but once it clicks, it will be really exciting.”

The South Londoners have switched to a more sustainable approach this summer, signing young players with huge potential and with a desire to learn and improve.

“It’s the direction the club wants to go – hence why I got the job,” says Robinson.

“How can we have a model that is sustainable and can bring us success? In the past, we have had an old squad – we have always been one of the oldest squads in the league, and the club wants a model with potential value.

“If you look at our squad now, and if it works, not only do we have players who can hopefully take us on to the next level, but there are also players of value throughout the squad. As a coach, I don’t want to sell anyone – I just want to put together a side that can make us successful.

“With the resources and budget we have, it’s the way the club can see us having success,. I agree with that. It’s just about making it work now.”

Some of the players will be in their first season in the men’s game. He said: “One hundred per cent patience will be needed.

“That’s part of the reason why I got the job – I am very process-driven. I am not knee-jerk.

“I didn’t panic last season when we lost a couple of games at Easter after playing well. They’re talented, but they are going to have to get used to the challenges of men’s football.

“As a League One club, we have always fought relegation. What we were doing before wasn’t working. People might say it’s risky going young, but there is a risk in anything you do – there is a risk in signing 28 year-olds.

“We haven’t lost that many players; it’s just how quickly we can imbed them into the side and get them performing.

“Go the other way and bring in players who have always been in League One, and they’re 29, but you have to ask yourself, ‘Where is that going to take you?’ It’s not going to take you beyond League One. There is an element of risk, but it could also be really exciting.”