On-loan Birmingham man Steve Seddon on his quest for perfection at AFC Wimbledon
BY YANN TEAR
yann@slpmedia.co.uk
Steve Seddon has vowed never to short-change Wimbledon during his loan spell – and says the four yellow cards picked up in his first six games is proof of how committed he is to the cause.
The left-back has shown plenty of passion and determination since signing from Birmingham City and is determined to give his all, rather than play it safe during what may only be a brief stay at Kingsmeadow.
He appears to have bought into the club’s ethos and battle to beat the drop, earning high praise from impressed boss Wally Downes.
“I think I’m playing quite well, although I’m a bit of a perfectionist and you obviously always hope to play even better,” the 21-year-old Berkshire-born defender told South London Press. “I’m a passionate player and to get the best out of myself, I know I have to love the place and that’s how I feel about Wimbledon.
“It’s an easy place to settle in – a really nice club. They are all good lads and the staff are all really nice too, so it wasn’t exactly the hardest finding my feet here.
“I think my record of bookings is misleading. You could argue that the one I picked up at Sunderland I deserved, but quite a few of those yellows, I felt hard done by.
“In my first game against Barnsley, I slipped as I was moving in to tackle a player but never even touched him. I was also booked for celebrating when I scored the winner at Walsall – but it was a big moment for us and the fans.
“It came on the back of a defeat against Burton where we hadn’t done justice to ourselves and I know how much it meant to the fans, who had travelled up to watch us.
“I also thought the one on Saturday against Charlton was a bit harsh. I got it for arguing with the ref because he didn’t give us a free-kick just before they scored. The day I stop arguing with refs is the time when I don’t care enough. It’s part of my passion for the game.
“When I was younger at Birmingham, I was a bit too nice – not getting the best out of myself. I know I do have to watch it with yellow cards but the least the fans can expect from players is that they give 100 per cent and try their hardest. If you are not trying your best, it’s letting the fans down.
“As a West Ham fan when I was younger, if I saw players not battling, I felt let down.”
Seddon says it is too early to say whether he might extend his stay at Wimbledon beyond the summer, but he isn’t ruling out anything at this stage.
“I’m very much concentrating on the now. I just want to do my best and help the club stay up. In football, things tend to work themselves out.
“But I have a connection and staying is not out of the question. I feel I care about the club as much as anyone. I was like that when I was on loan at Stevenage earlier in the season.
“That’s part of my personality – I buy into a place. And they have been great to me here. They’ve set me up in a flat and I’m loving it.
“I don’t ever want to be that player who comes in and goes through the motions – who doesn’t really care.”
That kind of commitment has already been picked up by the fans, who know that Seddon will fight their corner, even if he is supposedly a temporary fixture. And the man himself believes they will be rewarded.
“We definitely have a good chance of staying up,” he said. “It’s in this club’s DNA to keep fighting. If there’s one club in the Football League who can do the impossible, it’s Wimbledon, and it’s still far from being that.”
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