‘It’s been a rocky journey’ – Paul Osew on his battle for first-team action at AFC Wimbledon

AFC Wimbledon defender Paul Osew has admitted he was in a “dark place” at points during last season after finding game time hard to come by under former manager Glyn Hodges.

The Wandsworth-born player has opened up after he reached his 50th game for the Dons in the 2-2 draw at Wycombe last weekend.

The 21-year-old progressed through the ranks of the South Londoners’ academy and signed his first professional deal with the club in 2019.

While Wally Downes handed him his debut, it was under Hodges in the 2019-20 season when Osew found his place in the first team and cemented himself as the left-midfielder in a 3-5-2 formation. But Osew only played once in League One – a 21-minute cameo against Milton Keynes – under Hodges before Mark Robinson was handed the head coach job in late January,

Osew told the South London Press: “I just had to make sure I was staying mentally ready – it was tough. It was the first season where I had not played as much football.

“I was sometimes doing double or triple sessions knowing that I wasn’t going to be involved on the Saturday under Glyn. I had to make sure that I was ready, do the right thing and not throw a strop if I wasn’t in the side because it’s a team game.

“I would go maybe 13 or 14 games not playing, then go straight into a cup game, play 90 minutes, and then I wouldn’t see the pitch again for another 14 games. It was very tough. I won’t lie – I was in a dark place. But at that time I had Robbo and Vaughan Ryan just to try and keep me sane. I’m not the type of person to show that I’m going through something – you will always see me with a smile on my face.

“In the end, it was for the team, so when it came to training and matchday, I was still giving 100 per cent, but it was how I dealt with it and matured from it. It was a big learning curve for me.

“You never know what might happen in professional football – somebody could be playing the whole season, and the next minute, they’re in and out of the team. It was a shock that I had to experience early in my career.”

Speaking on Robinson’s appointment changing the path of his Wimbledon career, Osew added: “I have known Robbo since the U18s.

“He knows what I can bring to the team and my strengths and weakness. For me, Jack Rudoni, Ayoub Assal – the youth team – it was something big for us. We knew that with Robbo taking the job, it would feel similar to the U18s again because he would try and implement his style. We all buy into it, and it’s a process.”

Osew was blooded back into first-team action slowly under Robinson, earning minutes off the bench to help see out vital points in Wimbledon’s relegation battle.

In recent weeks Osew, who had trials with Chelsea and a spell as a forward in Brentford’s academy, has stepped in at right-back and delivered assured performances in the absence of Cheye Alexander. He was converted to left-back by Robinson in his Wimbledon youth team days.

“I was a bit shocked,” recalls Osew. “It all worked out in the end, and I learnt that he initially put me there to try and help the defensive side of my game.

“It’s added to my professionalism and made me more versatile – now you can say I’m a left-back, right-back, right-winger or left-winger, and when we played Accrington Stanley last year, Robbo brought me on as a striker.

“Hitting 50 appearances is definitely a big thing for me. I can only thank the staff for believing in me and the players getting me through it. I was nervous when I first came in, but here it’s a family – you don’t feel left out or an outsider.

“My family and everyone was proud of me, and I was proud of myself as well.

“It’s been a long and rocky journey but I am still young. I have more to give and more in my locker. I still have a lot to improve on.”

MAIN PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD