Dons shotstopper Seb Brown has revealed the threat of being shown the Kingsmeadow exit door is behind his early season form.
The 20-year-old made his England C debut last week in a 2-2 draw against Wales before returning to Blue Square Premier action in a 3-0 defeat at Luton Town.
Boss Terry Brown told the youngster he was taking a gamble on naming him as his number one during pre-season and wouldn’t hesitate to replace him if he failed to take his chance.
And the former Brentford man believes his manager’s honesty has been the spur he needed to get him on the road back to League football.
“It is a gamble having two young keepers and Terry told me that at the start of the season,” he said.
“If I make any mistakes I know there is a good chance he’ll decide to get a bit more experience in by taking someone on loan.
“It is up to me to stave that threat off. He is happy with my work and all I can keep doing is be solid and make sure he has no reason to do that.
“There are not a lot of keepers that get this chance at my age and I’m really pleased with how things have gone. I suppose the England C call-up is reward for that.
“The dream is to become a League number one and part of that dream is making that transition with AFC Wimbledon.”
Brown senior has warned the trappings of success will stretch his squad’s resources as they embark on a run of six games in 17 days.
And his young number one, who - like Steve Gregory and Sam Hatton - has played a game more than his colleagues, couldn’t agree more.
“The more games you play the more chance you have of picking up injuries and we can’t afford that,” he added.
“Wev’e got a big enough squad to cope at the moment, but we will have to see how it goes.
“A run of eight wins and the game against Luton will be forgotten. The games coming thick and fast could help us get some momentum.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here