‘Serious’ talks needed as AFC Wimbledon have to put plans in place for next season
AFC Wimbledon manager Mark Bowen believes that discussions around his future have to become more “serious” next week so plans can be put in place for next season.
The 58-year-old Welshman replaced head coach Mark Robinson after the 1-0 loss to Cambridge United in March.
During his six fixtures in charge of the Dons, while they are still on a 27-game winless run, Bowen’s side have taken the lead in four of those games and earned draws against promotion hopefuls Milton Keynes and Wycombe Wanderers.
Wimbledon’s five-season stint in League One is set to come to an end this weekend.
They have to win and need Fleetwood to lose – along with a seven-goal swing. And they will still go down if Gillingham were then to take even a point at home to Rotherham.
Bowen said: “I have been in the game a long time, and I am at this stage now where I want to be working for good people, a club that is ambitious, and it gives yourself a chance to do well, win games and put some sort of marker down.
“I have come into this club and in the short space of time that I have been here, all I have seen are people who are desperate for it to do well. People who have got plans for the future and have got ambitions to take the club to certain places in a certain way.
“I have spoken to people at the club, and we are very much aware of two things – it is a short summer, it always is, and tends to go really quickly, so things have got to be put in place.
“We have sat down and had discussions, about what we think about next year, what we feel that we need to do, and I have sort of mentioned things that I think need to happen and be put in place.
“I am grateful, as well, as the club have made me aware of individual players’ contracts situations – who is out of contract, who is not, and positions that might need to be filled.
“It will be a situation where, good or bad, let’s draw a line under the season come Saturday at 5pm and then, going into next week, things have to be getting a bit more serious in terms of what either party thinks about it and where we’re going.”
A factor of AFC Wimbledon’s season, which has been highlighted as one of the aspects behind the looming relegation to League Two, is the recruitment from the summer and winter windows.
Summer loanees Henry Lawrence and Aaron Pressley have suffered long-term injuries during their time at Plough Lane, with the latter having his season ended early due to a hamstring injury. Dapo Mebude has only managed two goals during his season-long loan from Watford.
Loan signings Sam Cosgrove and Terry Ablade, who were brought in and expected to replace the outgoing goalscoring burden of Ollie Palmer, have only managed one goal between them. Tomas Kalinauskas has only had 72 minutes of League One football since signing from Barnsley in January.
When asked whether he believed his experience in the game could help AFC Wimbledon in that department, Bowen replied: “Yeah, I would like to think so. Myself and Eddie Niedzwiecki have got a huge range of contacts that we can approach. The most important thing is being able to approach these players, but also to get more detail on the players.
“If you have a history or a friendship of talking to people at different clubs, sometimes, those people are more inclined to give you an honest opinion on those players.
“Sometimes they are more obliged to say: ‘Mark, this player might not suit you. Which way are you looking to play? These are his strengths, but these are his weaknesses’.
“Otherwise, a lot of it is just looking at videos and guesswork.”
PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD