AFC Wimbledon’s Dannie Bulman has more than 700 career appearances to his name but is not considering retirement any time soon.
The 37-year-old has been a mainstay in the Dons starting XI since signing for the club on a free transfer in the summer of 2014.
Despite his age and rapidly expiring contract , Bulman hasn’t felt any signs of his legs giving up on him and believes he has a couple more years left in him at least.
He said: “I’m coping fine, the gaffer is spot on to be honest, he gives me time when I need to rest and rests me in the week so it’s good, I feel like I can get around the pitch still so long may it continue.
“We have a lot of recovery days, where we come in and don’t actually train, we just cycle, rubs, ice baths, you know boring stuff that footballers don’t have to do but you need to, to maintain your career.
“But if I need an extra day off and feel a bit tired then I ask for it and I get it.”
The fans sitting in the stands can often miss the hard work that players like Bulman put in every Saturday afternoon.
Nothing fancy, you’ll rarely see Bulman beat a man, or spray a 60-yard pass but what he does offer is 100 per cent from the first to the last minute.
Neal Ardley deploys his No 4 at the base of his midfield, protecting the back four and retaining possession for the side.
And Bulman believes his manager’s past as an industrious midfielder means Ardley appreciates the work he does, even if it goes unnoticed by some.
Bulman said: “I just plug up the holes, just doing the s****y bits that not many people actually see but the gaffer likes me doing it.
“It is hard to pick up from the stands but it is blocking a ball into the front man that people don’t see but the gaffer used to be a midfielder and he knows what it is all about.”
