ADEBAYO Azeez admits he’d love to lose his title as AFC Wimbledon’s cameo man.
The Dons’ striker is second in Dons’ scoring charts this season behind summer arrival Lyle Taylor.
However, such has been the prolific form of former Bournemouth man Taylor, the majority of Azeez’s eight goals have come from the bench.
In the final year of his contract, Azeez admits it is a situation no striker worth his salt can ever be entirely happy with.
“I’m still too much of a cameo man for my liking because you always want to play as many minutes as you can,” he said.
“You could ask any footballer and they would say they are not happy just coming off the bench or even if they are starting coming off after 60 minutes.
“Everyone wants to play 90 if they can. That is the way we are, but if this is the way I can help the team at the moment then this is what I’m going to have to do.”
Azeez may be granted a rare start in Saturday’s final game of the regular season at home to Newport, if only to rest Taylor for the knockout games ahead.
With Dons’ season extended any talks about a new deal or moves to pastures new will have to wait a week or two.
But for a man who has got used to trying to make the most of whatever minutes come his way, Azeez knows he must maximise any opportunity to raise his profile and as a striker getting to 10 goals for the campaign would be a start.
“You could say there is more pressure on me every time I come on because I’m not getting many minutes, but I just go on with the mentality of doing what I can for the team and playing my game.
“I don’t really think about how long I’ve got. If I can make an impact in whatever time that is I’m happy enough to do that.
“I could do with a couple of goals, perhaps to get myself to double figures and then I would be a happy man.
“Who knows (if that will make the difference between new contract or not) we will have to wait and see, but I’m not thinking about that right now. We’ll evaluate at the end of the season.”
