Terry Brown reveals he wants his AFC Wimbledon side to be pass masters this season after the Dons returned to pre-season training last weekend.

The Dons boss finally nailed the signature of Ricky Wellard this week, bringing to an end a year-long pursuit of the Ashford Town playmaker.

And Brown admits Wellard could well be the fulcrum for Wimbledon’s play this season.

He said: “We need to have two very specific styles of play this season.

“When we are away from home we need to be strong and able to stop sides from playing, especially when we come up against the likes of Luton and Oxford.

“But at home we want to play a very expansive game, even more so than last year.

“The key to our game will be the midfield, and I am very excited when you look at who we have.

“We have Steven Gregory and Kennedy Adjei who can both put their foot on the ball and pass it, and then we have Sam Hatton and Lewis Taylor who will be up and down the pitch for the whole game, with or without the ball.

“Add Ricky to that and we have a lot of options.”

Brown first tried to snap up Wellard last summer but was turned down after the clubs haggled over a fee.

But the Wimbledon boss was not to be denied, and he cannot wait to see the 20-year-old run out in Dons colours.

Brown added: “He is one of the best passers in the whole of non-league football in my opinion, and I felt that was something that we needed.

“We need someone who can thread the ball through to Jon Main and Danny Kedwell and that is exactly what Ricky is capable of.

“He is probably the most versatile player that we have - he can play any of the four midfield positions and that is a great plus.”

Brown is also looking forward to teaming Wellard up with Taylor, who missed virtually the whole of the last campaign after suffering a serious knee injury in a pre-season friendly with the Met Police.

He added: “Having Lewis back is another boost as he featured so little last season.

“He has turned up for training much fitter than he did last year and I am really looking forward to working with him this year.

“We have some great athletes at the club now, and stamina will certainly not be an issue for us this season.”