Luke Chadwick made his professional debut aged 18 but 14 years on he is just as excited as ever by the start of the season.
MK Dons’ Sky Bet League 1 campaign gets underway this afternoon when they take on Shrewsbury Town at the Greenhous Stadium. Naturally, the Dons are in an optimistic mood after a successful pre-season and Chadwick admits the team cannot wait to battle for points once more.
Speaking ahead of the game the midfielder said: “I can’t wait to get going we have a big game on Saturday against Shrewsbury and all the lads can’t wait. It’s another season full of hope and hopefully we can go one better than we have done in the years gone by.
“I’ve felt really good this summer, I had a better summer than last year when obviously I had an operation. I’ve got a great pre-season under my belt and I am raring to go.”
There has been a significant switch in the approach from the Dons this summer. Last year a whole host of experienced players over the age of 30 were introduced into the squad, but on this occasion the emphasis has been put on youth with the likes of Patrick Bamford, Jason Banton, Ben Reeves and Lee Hodson all signing for Karl Robinson’s side.
There is also the prospect of 17-year-old Dele Alli, who signed a professional deal in the summer, and youth team players such as Brendan Galloway and Giorgio Rasulo having a real impact on the first team.
The thought of the young guns taking over doesn’t worry Chadwick though, in fact he is looking forward to seeing the starlets deliver.
He added: “The new lads have come in and they all look great, they have fitted into the way we play really well and we have some exciting young players too, so it will be good to watch them come through and do well over the next few years.
“We have some great players here who could easily grace the Championship so it is great that we kept hold of those players and we kept most of the squad together. With the young players coming in it can only benefit the Club going forward.
“In football there is always someone else who can play in your position, it’s great to see these young players coming through and if they come in and do well I will be the first one to say they should keep their place in the team.”
The Dons haven’t overstated their intentions this year either, so what does that mean for the squad’s ambition going forward?
“We will be going into every game to try and win it and if you do that you stand a good chance of getting promoted. We’re really positive in the dressing room and we’re hopeful of having a great season.”