Never mind X-Factor, AFC Wimbledon new boy Dominic Poleon is hoping to be the next striker to benefit from the Ardley factor.

The former Leeds and Oldham front-man has earned a reputation with previous managers as a player with the right raw material and bags of potential, but admits it is time for such promise to be realised.

And having watched boss Neal Ardley transform the fortunes of fans' favourite Lyle Taylor in his first season with the Dons, the 22-year-old is keen for some of the same man management magic to rub off.

“I don’t think as a player you can sign for a club if you don’t believe the manager can bring the best out of you.

“If I didn’t think the gaffer could improve my game and help me get to where I want to be I would not be here. I think he is the man to do that.

Dons hero: Lyle Taylor of AFC Wimbledon is carried aloft by the fans

“It’s definitely time for potential to become a bit more than that and that means consistent performances because football is about consistency.

“That potential needs to turn into performances week in week out and I’m working hard to put that into my game. There is no point having a good game one week then the next week a bad one.”

As with all strikers Poleon ideally that means weight of goals, though he points out such consistency can be measured in other ways.

“As a striker of course you want to score goals, so a good season is to score as many as I can, but it is about consistency,” he said.

“Whether you score one week or set one up the next that is still consistency.”

Goalscorer: Lyle Taylor rides a challenge

To achieve all this of course he must first find his way into a front-line dominated in last year’s promotion push by the aforementioned Taylor and popular target-man Tom Elliott.

It’s a challenge the former Chelsea youth is up for and he rightly points out he has experience at levels of the pyramid his teammates don’t.

“As a striker or any player you want to play games but with how the game is you have to fight for your spot,” he added.

“It’s a new season where everyone starts with a clean slate and we are not in League Two anymore we are in League One. I’ve played there, know what it is about and think I can offer something to the team.

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