‘My passion for football is through the roof’ – Dons defender Biler happy to be back in first-team fold

BY EDMUND BRACK
edmund@slpmedia.co.uk

It feels pretty unfair that Huseyin Biler only has 25 senior appearances for AFC Wimbledon to his name.

The right-back made his league debut last season in the 2-0 win at Tranmere Rovers on November 19, 2022, but his 12-month spell in the first team has been plagued by injuries.

He has only managed a maximum of 10 starts in a row during his senior career to date, having picked up recurring hamstring problems.

Biler’s last injury – suffered at the end of the last campaign and then aggravated over pre-season – saw him miss the first 13 outings of the 2023-24 League Two season.

The 21-year-old is back now and made six appearances in a row as he looks to put his injury concerns behind him and become an ever-present within the matchday squad.

“It’s amazing – there is no better feeling,” Biler told the South London Press of his return to playing football. “Being out makes you a lot more grateful when you do return. I hope it can carry on.

“I’m very strong mentally. I have a supportive family and background  so when I do pick up these injuries I know I’m going to be fine.

“It can get frustrating because my passion for football is through the roof and I want to be on the pitch.

“When I picked the injuries up, I know that everything happens for a reason. I just had to do my rehab properly and know my time would come again. Even the medical team, with the last injury, had to constantly keep telling me: ‘It’s not the right time,’ but I always want to play.

“The only difference this time around, which I haven’t done throughout my career, is that I have started to do more stretching, mobility and strengthening work.

“I can’t ever go into a game holding back – that will hinder my performance. I’ll always be the same, no matter what happens in my career.”

Biler was playing Sunday League football with Ryan FC in Walthamstow before being spotted by the Dons and impressing on trial.

He penned a professional deal in July 2020 and had a handful of loans away from Plough Lane in order to build his senior experience.

The full-blooded defender is now vying with fellow academy graduate Issac Ogundere for the starting spot in Jackson’s first team.

“It’s a dream come true,” Biler said of his quick rise to professional football. “There is still a long way to go, big aspirations and achievements that I want to achieve in my football career.

“I’m only at the start and I’m very grateful to even be in the position that I’m in, as there are a lot of players – younger or a bit older – who want to be in my shoes.

“It’s amazing having a gaffer like Johnnie Jackson. He’s a fair manager for any of the young lads coming through.

“You build the trust over time and show that you’re more than capable of playing. If you do well, you’ll keep your shirt. You are the only person who can give him the reason to bench you.”

Biler has come into a defence that has changed a lot over the summer.

Sunderland loanee Alex Bass has established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper, with summer arrivals Joe Lewis and Ryan Johnson forming the backbone of the defence.

“That’s just how football is,” said Biler. “You have to adapt with whoever you’re playing with and go out of your way to build a better relationship with them.

“The squad has improved massively from last season.

“There are a lot of great individuals and a lot of ability to go on and do amazing things.

“It’s all healthy competition in every position.

“Even with Ali [Al-Hamadi], he’s a great prospect for the club and he’s someone with a very bright future ahead of him.

“He’s a humble lad and we’re very close. He’s a handful when we train against each other, but it’s good because whenever I’m up against him, I know I’m going to be improving as a player.

“The more you suss him out and the more you play against him, you’re going to get better against players who are just as technically sharp as him.”

The Dons are four points off the top seven heading into tomorrow’s game against third-placed Notts County.

“First and foremost my goal is to stay fit and injury free,” said Biler, looking at his targets for the rest of the season.“I’m doing all the right things. I want to be present every day in training and consistently play well every game.

“Hopefully we can get into the play-offs – it’s something we believe we can achieve this season.

“It would mean everything to me to get Wimbledon into the play-offs. On a personal note, it would be great as a young player to reach the top seven in my first full season.

“Wimbledon, as a club, is a lot bigger than where we currently are. We need to kick on and get ourselves back into League One.

“After that, we can kick on again and get ourselves back into the Premier League one day.”

PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD