‘I have never felt comfortable in my whole career’ – Former Lion Pearce on signing for AFC Wimbledon

Alex Pearce has insisted that he has never wanted to feel comfortable in his football career after he dropped down two divisions to join AFC Wimbledon following his departure from Championship side Millwall.

Johnnie Jackson snapped up the defender, 33, as his first signing as Dons boss since his appointment at the start of the summer.

The capture of Pearce was highlighted as a coup for Wimbledon, who convinced the former Republic of Ireland international to bypass League One and come down to the fourth tier of English football and help the club attempt to win promotion out of League Two at the first time of asking.

“I have never felt comfortable in my whole career – wherever I have been,” Pearce explained to the South London Press when asked about the reasoning behind his decision to sign for the Dons.

“I don’t like that feeling – I want to play on the edge and be on the edge. It didn’t bother me one bit that it was dropping down two levels – it was never about that.

“It was a matter of me picking the right challenge, the right club, the right manager, and where I can see myself being challenged and getting my career back on track after last season.

“I met Johnnie [Jackson], and he outlined his ambitions for the club and himself. It was a combination of everything and how he wanted to play [that sold it to me].

“From my point of view, it was about needing a fresh challenge – it had gone a bit stale for me at Millwall.

“Everybody at Millwall was fantastic, but I just didn’t get the amount of playing time that I would have personally liked, so it was about me picking the right challenge that allowed me to get back to playing and get myself going again.

“As soon as I met the manager at Wimbledon, I really liked what he had to say.”

While Pearce was an integral part of the squad chemistry of Gary Rowett’s Millwall last season, the centre-back struggled to feature regularly.

The Lions boasted the joint fourth-best defensive record in the Championship last season with Shaun Hutchinson, Jake Cooper, Murray Wallace and Dan Ballard all featuring extensively.

Pearce only made six appearances in the Championship last season, with the Lions falling just short of finishing in the play-off places.

Pearce was allowed to leave on a free contract this summer after three-and-a-half years at the Den.

“Yeah, I think so,” said Pearce when asked whether it was the right time to depart from the Bermondsey-based side.

“I can’t speak highly enough of Milwall as a football club – I had a great and an unbelievable time there.

“You have got some fantastic people there, from the manager to all of the staff, and a fantastic group of players who achieved great things. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. But, as it sometimes does, things can come to an end. I have come to AFC Wimbledon to try and have a positive effect on the football club.

“For any player, they will tell you that they want to play, and if they don’t, then there is an issue. It’s tough but your job as a footballer is to train as hard as you can, and when you’re asked to play, you try and take your opportunity.

“That’s the mentality that I had last year. At the end of the season, you assess it all.

“This is a fresh season and I am really looking forward to cracking on with AFC Wimbledon under a new manager and with a cracking set of lads.”

It’s a testament to the consistent longevity of Pearce’s career that, as he closes in on his 450th professional appearance in the sport, this will be his first season competing in League Two.

He has a wealth of experience to draw upon heading into his inaugural campaign with the Dons, from his nine international caps with the Republic of Ireland to his season in the Premier League with Reading and more than 300 Championship games under his belt.

“It’s the first time I’ll be playing in League Two, but I have watched it from afar, and I know how competitive the league is,” said Pearce, who doesn’t want to underestimate the challenges that the fourth tier will present.

“I know that it is a really difficult league to get out of and to pick up results in. What I have found is that football is the same across the board – you still have to do certain things to win football games, whether that is at Premier League or League Two level.”

While Jack Rudoni has moved on to pastures new, with his breakout season seeing Wimbledon earn a club record transfer fee from Huddersfield, it appears for now – despite interest from elsewhere – that Ayoub Assal and Luke McCormick, pictured right, will be staying.

Jackson also swooped to sign striker Josh Davison from Charlton to lead the line for the Dons this season.

“I have been impressed with the quality of the lads,” said Pearce, who won the Championship title with Reading in 2012.

“We have got some talented, young players who can have some really bright futures in the game if they apply themselves correctly.

“There is some exciting talent at the club, and I’m looking forward to seeing that come out during the season.”

Along with the creative spark McCormick and Assal possess, Jackson has brought in Pearce and Chris Gunter – Wales’ most capped international – to add some seasoned know-how to the squad.

“At any football club, your senior players are instrumental – they have a big say in the dressing room,” said Pearce. “We have got a fair few younger players at the club, and the young players will always look to the senior players to set the example.

“It’s down to the other boys and me to set the right example and lead the way.”

The Dons are heading into League Two off the back of their first relegation as a phoenix club, and when the first ball is kicked at Plough Lane against Gillingham tomorrow, it will have been 235 days since they last picked up a win in competitive football.

But Pearce insists that the feeling around the football club couldn’t be further from the doldrums of the second half of last season.

He said: “It’s a lovely club – it’s a really family-orientated football club, and it’s a really good group of players. I have been really impressed with the place in general, and we’re all looking to have a positive season this year.

“With the new manager and management staff coming in, there is a freshness to it this year.

“We have made some new signings, and I think it was needed. But everybody has moved on – it’s a clean slate this year.

“Everyone is working hard to have a positive season this year, and hopefully, we can get a good result against Gillingham on the first game of the season.”

PREDICTION TIME….Lee Finch – The Wombles Had A Dream Podcast @WomblesDream

EXPECTATION
Mid table. League Two is a tough league and a lot of teams have spent well. We’ve left our business to late.

WHO IS GOING TO BE YOUR PLAYER OF THE YEAR?
Josh Davison. Wimbledon fans love a player who gives 100 per cent – hopefully he will score a few goals.

MOST EXCITING SIGNING
Paris Maghoma. The box-to-box midfielder is highly rated Brentford.

WHAT WORRIES YOU?
Goals – the same concern as last season. We are relying on Ayoub Assal and Davison to score the goals. Last season we struggled and it could be a similar story again.

WHO IS GOING UP?
Crawley, Walsall, Stockport and Bradford

WHO IS GOING DOWN?
Colchester and Harrogate.