Tuesday 4 August 2015 09:46, UK
Dean Lewington tells Sky Sports what it’s like to be back in the Championship with MK Dons after previously tasting life in the second tier as a Wimbledon player…
You could say a lot has changed since Dean Lewington played a game of football in England’s second tier. You could say it. But it would be an understatement. Lewington’s last match at this level was also the last before the club formerly known as Wimbledon was dissolved and renamed as MK Dons.
More than a decade has passed but the now 31-year-old has stayed throughout it all. From playing in ‘Crazy Gang’ blue to skippering the new club to promotion last season in their pristine white shirts, he’s the one-man personification of a period of unprecedented and controversial transition.
The son of England assistant Ray Lewington, he was a fan of Fulham then Watford as his affections changed with his father’s club. Indeed, a childhood switch from supporting Liverpool to Manchester United foreshadowed his own identity crisis as a player. Is he a one-club or two-club man?
What’s clear is that he’s MK Dons’ record appearance holder. "People keep getting sold so I’m lucky in that respect," he tells Sky Sports. There’s a dry sense of humour and a contempt for sentiment or fluff. Lewington has no superstitions and can’t stand Twitter. But he does have a story to tell.
"For the last decade it’s been about trying to build a club from scratch," he says. "Pretty much everything that could’ve changed has changed. A new stadium, new name, new kit. It’s a completely different club. The youth system is second to none. There are plans now for a new training ground.
"It’s getting to where other clubs have been for the last 20 or 30 years, but for us, being a new club, it’s taken us a while to get that infrastructure in place. We’re finally getting there now and it’s beginning to feel like a club that’s putting down roots and branching out into different areas."
Given that last season was their seventh successive top-half finish, promotion to the Championship was perhaps only a matter of time. But it’s still an historic achievement and a daunting prospect. "We’ve been close for a few years in League One but that step up is massive," adds Lewington.
"It’s a huge challenge. When the fixtures came out, it’s that realisation of the teams you get to play against and the places you get to go. Most of the teams in the Championship are former Premier League clubs, which goes to show you’re up against some big teams."
Of course, big teams are already accustomed to leaving Denbigh Stadium in defeat. Manchester United were seen off 4-0 in last season’s Capital One Cup. But the grind of the Championship is a different matter. "One-off games are great but we need to translate that into a 46-game season.
"We have done okay in the cups against some good teams and always seemed to hold our own, but we’re under no illusions. It’s going to be difficult. That’s just the relentless nature of the Championship. It’s hard with the Saturday-Tuesdays because you don’t get a break."
That victory over Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United included a brace from Benik Afobe but he has since moved on to Wolves. In addition, Dele Alli has been sold to Tottenham and 20-goal top scorer Will Grigg has joined League One Wigan Athletic. It’s not ideal preparation.
"We’ve lost probably 60 goals out of the team with Benik, Griggy and Dele leaving," says Lewington. "That’s obviously a big hole to fill but we feel we’ve made some big signings and some of the lads who were on the sidelines last year are now going to get their chance. It’s up to them to take it.
"It was disappointing to lose a couple of the boys because I think the club tried to make an effort to get them back, but it wasn’t to be. We need to find those goals. We were pleased with our defensive record and that wasn’t just the back-four but the whole team.
"The way that we played last year, we limited chances as a team. I think that’s the way it’s going to have to be this season – we don’t score goals as individuals and we don’t concede goals as individuals, it’s a team effort."
Much will surely depend on how manager Karl Robinson takes to life in the Championship. The 34-year-old coach became the league’s youngest manager when he took over in 2010 and has developed a promising reputation for getting his team playing attractive football. Lewington is a fan.
"He has a way of doing things and a vision," says the left-back. "He wants us to play a certain way. It creates a nice culture around the club of people being willing to try things. The boys are happy here and it helps us gel as a team to know that the manager is 100 per cent behind us.
"He’s great in that most managers will want you to play a certain way and then when you make a mistake it’s your fault for trying to play the way they’ve asked you to. But he’s very true to his word so if he asks you to do a certain thing and it doesn’t work then he takes the blame for it.
He’s great in that most managers will want you to play a certain way and then when you make a mistake it’s your fault for trying to play the way they’ve asked you to.
"I’ve worked with him now for a long time because he was Paul Ince’s assistant too. We’ve got similar outlooks on the game and how it should be played. To get to play football the way that we do is not something that happens at every club. It’s something I enjoy."
The signs are that the fun is set to continue. Lewington signed a new two-year deal this summer – "it just seemed like a natural progression" – and even scored in three consecutive games in pre-season. "I wouldn’t put a bet on it," is his response when asked if he’ll be in the goals in 2015/16.
When we (were) there as Wimbledon, we were young kids thrown in at the deep end really.
After experiencing relegation with Wimbledon in 2004, one senses that Lewington would settle for avoiding the drop this time around. Underneath the natural pessimism, there’s a determination too. "When we (were) there as Wimbledon, we were young kids thrown in at the deep end really," he says.
"That’s just the way the situation developed. We were put in a little bit too young. But this time around we’ve got a good balance and we deserve to be there." It’s been a long road. But it’s hard to disagree that Lewington has earned another crack at the Championship.
