Experienced striker set for debut versus Carlisle

Neal Ardley has bolstered his striking options by bringing in a familiar face with David Connolly completing a return to Wimbledon today.

The experienced striker, who was signed by Terry Burton in 2001 and scored 42 goals for Wimbledon, has answered the call for more attacking firepower after the departure of Matt Tubbs.

Having played in the same team during his Wimbledon playing days, Neal Ardley said he has always admired David’s forward qualities – and the striker still has plenty to offer at the age of 37 after leaving Portsmouth.

He looks after himself and he is still in great shape.Speaking during an interview for Dons Player, Neal Ardley said: “David is a very good player who is still as sharp as ever. We have looked at various options after Matt Tubbs left and we've decided to bring in two forwards rather than one. David is one of those and he trained with us this morning. It was one of the best training sessions I had seen in a long time and he was exceptional.

"We lost an exceptional striker with Matt Tubbs leaving, but David is an out-and-out goalscorer. He is certainly one of the best I played with back in my time with Wimbledon.

“We just need to get him up to speed so that when when we do start to use him more he will be ready for that. That will happen in the next couple of weeks, but he will certainly be straight into the squad for Saturday and he will give everyone a boost.”

David Connolly started his career with Watford and he has a hugely impressive football CV. Capped by Republic of Ireland 41 times – including an appearance at the 2002 World Cup – David was snapped up by the Dons after a spell playing for Dutch club Feyenoord.

During a long playing career so far that includes spells with West Ham, Leicester and Southampton, David has an average scoring ratio of one goal in just over 2.5 games.

Dons Player subscribers can watch Neal Ardley’s full transfer update on our premium channel later today, along with an exclusive interview with David Connolly.