I met him at Simon’s Diner, right around the corner from the stadium. He tells me that he and his husband like to come here for a late breakfast on Sunday mornings. It’s become a part of their routine- they head into work early to meet with coaches and physios for ice baths and other recovery work, and by 11 they’re done and ready to stow the football boots away for the rest of their day off. They bike over to Simon’s for breakfast, then a quick stop at Abel & Cole nearby to pick up groceries for dinner that night, then it’s back home to cook and binge on Netflix. It’s a picture of lovely, sedate domestic bliss that you’d find from just about any settled couple. Nevermind that they happen to be some of the most celebrated footballers in England at the moment.

“Where is your better half, then?” I ask as the waitress brings us more tea.

“He’s back at the grounds. He still has a bit of rehab work to do to get ready for next week.”

His husband, the “Other” John Green, picked up a knock during AFC Wimbledon’s FA Cup semifinal match against Arsenal. He played through it, not saying a word to anyone until after the season, but it ultimately became apparent that something was wrong. Thankfully it was nothing serious- a simple dead leg contusion- but his recovery was slower than is typical and he was late joining the team for preseason training. He’s playing catch-up now to be ready for the friendlies and the start of competitive football- hence his conspicuous absence from this interview.

***

Nerdfighter Football Club: Before we jump into it, I have to ask- have you heard about the new bunting they’re installing at the stadium?

Bald John Green: No, I don’t think I have.

NFC: Right, well you know how White Hart Lane has those banners wrapping around the seating areas, and they say ‘To Dare Is To Do’ and ‘Come On You Spurs.’

BJG: Yup.

NFC: They’re installing similar bunting at Wibbly Lane. It’s going to say ‘We Are Wimbledon’ and ‘Come On You Dons,’ but it’s also going to say ‘This Is The Place Where Dreams Come True’ and ‘This Is The Place Where Anything Is Possible.’

BJG: Ha! That’s great.

NFC: That speech, the one you made at the grounds the night of the FA Cup win, it had quite an impact on people.

BJG: Yeah, I’ve got to be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was saying that night. I was just so overwhelmed with everything that had happened. Plus I was exhausted because I couldn’t sleep the night before, and then I had to go play 120 minutes of football, so I had been awake for a long time and was fairly punch drunk by then. But yeah, mostly I was just overwhelmed and I started babbling. I was actually afraid I was starting to bore people!

NFC: Haha!

BJG: The thing is though , after John and I got home and slept- and it felt like we slept almost a week- we just wanted to get back to the football. It was a long season and we were both pretty worn out right near the end of it, and John was obviously carrying the injury, but after the cup final we just wanted the new season to start. I’m still anxious to get back to playing. This was probably the longest summer of my life.

NFC: How’s preseason training going so far?

BJG: It’s good. It’s really good. We’ve been looking at a lot of video of League One teams and seeing how they play. It’s a tough league, and we’re definitely going to have our work cut out for us. We’re going to have to adjust how we play a bit if we want to be successful.

NFC: How so?

BJG:: Well it’s a very physical kind of football. League Two is also physical, but League One is really emphasizes sort of a smashmouth style of play. You can bulk yourself up and do strength training and all this other stuff to try and withstand physicality and ride tackles and all that, but you can only do so much, especially when you’re double- or triple-marked. So we’re working on our tactics a bit to try and compensate, you know, trying to find ways to cover for and protect each other. We also need to work on maybe playing a bit more high-tempo, with more one- and two-touch play, and working on more intelligent uses of space. We’ve spent some time working on our overlapping runs, and I like the progress we’ve made so far there.

NFC: Is there any part of the fixture schedule that’s especially intimidating?

BJG: Not really. Every team is going to be tough, and there aren’t going to be any easy games this season. Obviously for personal reasons the games against Swindon are going to be difficult to navigate, but John and I just need to be professionals and treat that fixture like any other game.

NFC: How do you feel about facing MK Dons twice this season?

BJG: It’s just MK. They’re not the ‘Dons.’ We are.

NFC: They seem to disagree.

BJG: They can sit there and say that the sky is pink, too. Just because they say something over and over again doesn’t make them right.

NFC: Fair enough. AFC Wimbledon are going to be in the Europa League this season. You’re the first third division side to compete in European football since Newport County in 1980. How are you planning to handle that particular challenge?

BJG: We’re treating it like any other cup competition. Obviously it carries a bit more prestige and visibility than, like, the Johnstone Paint Trophy. We all definitely want to have a good run. But we’re also realistic about our chances. Just being in the group stages is massive for the club. We’re working to have a strong showing in the group stages, and if we crash out there we can hold our heads high.

NFC: And if you survive the group stages?

BJG: Well then. Who knows what can happen, right?

NFC: The club will be in five competitions this season- League One, the FA Cup, the Capital One Cup, the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, and now the Europa League. Fatigue became a real issue towards the end of last season. How do you plan to navigate such a full schedule?

BJG: Well, obviously the club is going to have to fill out the roster so that we can have the squad rotation we need to compete meaningfully in all these competitions while keeping everyone fit and healthy. But I really don’t have any say over that. That’s up to the Gaffer and the Board of Directors and the fans. For my part, all I can do is focus on my job, and that’s staying healthy, working hard in training, make sure that I earn my place on the team, and score some goals.

NFC: With that in mind- what would you say to any new players coming into the team for this next season?

BJG: [pause] Know what you’re getting yourself into. We know we’re a small club, and we don’t have a lot of money, and we’re in the third division, but everyone connected to AFC Wimbledon- especially the fans who own the place- wants big things for this club. We’re not happy with promotion. The FA Cup win was amazing, but we’re not done yet. The coach and all the people in charge will talk about wanting to temper expectations and take things one game at a time, and that’s absolutely the right approach. But I don’t care about all that. I want us in the Champions League. I want to go to Bayern Munich and Real Madrid and all those big European giants and make sure they remember who we are. I want us in the Premier League. I want us bringing home silverware by the barrelful. This is the club you would be coming into. So if you want to wear our badge, think long and hard about whether this is something you want, and if you’re willing to put in as much or more work into this club as we already do. It’s okay if you don’t, and there are other clubs with more managed expectations where you can ply your craft. But AFC Wimbledon is something special, and you need to make damn sure you’re worthy of wearing the badge when you come in. If you come to AFC Wimbledon, if you join with us to build something amazing, it will be the most important thing you ever do. And it will cost you everything.