Sunday 15 November 2015 13:59, UK
His career has spanned two decades and taken him - via Lithuania and Leyton Orient - to 14 different clubs, but Adebayo Akinfenwa anticipated this season with the relish of a rookie.
There was a brief summer flirtation with Major League Soccer but the Kingsmeadow side - "that felt the right fit because it's had to work hard to get to where it is" - convinced him to stay and that, he thought, was cause to celebrate.
Not content with dressing-room approval, Akinfenwa - charisma to match his famed 16-stone frame - called on the fans to pick his new post-goal moves. A video compilation of three contenders clocked almost half a million views. More than 40,000 votes were cast on the first day. And so, despite his personal preference for 'The Royal' - stiff-handed wave, snooty expression - it was a thigh-clutching wiggle dubbed 'The Whip' that delighted the away end after he bundled in at Crawley.
"I've rolled it out three times this season so if I get on the pitch on Sunday, hopefully I can bring it out again," the striker, whose team-mates take on Portsmouth in front of the Sky cameras on Sunday, says with a chuckle.
"Football can be very serious at times; it was a bit of fun. I'm a big social media user so it was a way for me to interact with fans. Some people told me I should concentrate on scoring but, for me, it's a case of smile when you can. When you get to my age, enjoyment comes first."
Akinfenwa, now 33, is enjoying life on and off the field. He's scored more than 150 goals - 15 a season on average over almost as many years; four so far this term - but there's more to him than your average lower-league poacher. A lot more.
In an era of thoroughbreds it's a startling physique that has earned the self-styled 'Beast' a cult following. He can bench-press a top weight of 190kg (two-and-a-bit Diego Costas), works out four times a week and has been named the world's strongest player by video game FIFA.
There was a time when the fixation with his biceps bugged him. Now he's turned them into his brand.
"There was a period in my career, maybe four years ago, when I got frustrated that people said I was just a battering ram," Akinfenwa, who's capitalised with his 'Beast Mode On' clothing line, says.
"To have a career spanning more than 10 years, you've got to have more about you than just being a big guy. My stats speak for themselves; I've got a good touch for a big man, I know I can find the back of the net. I've come of age now; I embrace it because I can look in the mirror and be happy."
The smile slips, he admits, when he comes across referees who "don't do their homework": "Sometimes I get aggressive; I'm only human. I've had a referee say I'm too strong. That's like telling someone to stop running because they're too fast. It makes no sense.
I've had a referee say I'm too strong. That's like telling someone to stop running because they're too fast. It makes no sense.
"I do think I get unfair treatment; just because it's unnatural for me to go down it doesn't mean it's not necessarily a foul. I try to get on with things but it's frustrating. I've got a different physique, I play a certain way. The officials should take that into consideration."
Other muscular figures have at least provided inspiration: "I'm a massive fan of Didier Drogba, I love the way he plays. He's not as stacked as me but he's strong and he's still scoring goals.
"I'm a fan of Diego Costa as well. I think he crosses the line at times but I like the fact he doesn't allow himself to be bullied. You're going to know you played against Diego Costa. I'm the same; I like any defender to know they played against Akinfenwa."
When he's not on the pitch or in the gym, it's Beast Mode Off. Give him a green tea and a Disney film any day, he says. Even when he's pumping iron, he likes a "relaxing slow jam".
But it's not enough for Akinfenwa to raise eyebrows. He plans on launching a mentoring scheme and wants kids, young footballers, to draw from his experiences of ribbing, rejection and - at times in Lithuania - racial abuse.
"I didn't set out to be different, to look the way I look," he says, thoughtfully. "I'm from big stock - me and my brothers look like we're a wrestling trio - but I always wanted to be a footballer and I wasn't going to let anyone tell me I couldn't make it.
"If I'd listened to people who told me I couldn't be do it, 100-plus goals, the strongest footballer... I wouldn't be any of that. That's what I want to drum into the kids - if you've got a dream or a goal, anything can happen if you've got the drive."
Ask him about League Two Wimbledon's target this term and he'll go only as far as "progression" but his own motivation, he reckons, will see him play on for a while yet.
"To better what we did last season - 15th - is our aim," he says. "It's been an indifferent start but we've just found a bit of form. The league's very tight. There's only five points between us and Portsmouth. I'd say they're the biggest team in our league so it'll be a good test.
"I take it game by game. People laugh at my pace but I can run a bit once I get going! I've got two or three years left in me."
Plenty of time for those celebrations, then - and what chance adding another to his repertoire at the weekend? "It's got to be spontaneous," he laughs. "But with the cameras there, anything can happen..."
Watch Portsmouth v AFC Wimbledon live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 2.15pm on Sunday.
