SAMMY Moore will line up for the AFC Wimbledon against Brentford tonight - but things could have been very different for the industrious midfielder.
The 25-year-old spent a successful spell on loan at Griffin Park in 2007 after being brought to the Bees by then manager Terry Butcher.
Butcher left his post as manager in December and Moore’s loan period ended a few weeks later in early January with Andy Scott in caretaker charge of the club.
Scott, who had been working as Butcher’s assistant, had watched Moore’s progress over his 20-game spell while on loan from Ipswich and made attempts to keep him.
However, he returned to Portman Road where Tractor Boys boss Jim Magilton showed him the door before the month was out.
Moore was disappointed things didn’t work out against tonight’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy first round opposition and admits he still looks out for the Bees’ results.
“I had a good six months there and I didn’t want to leave but Ipswich called me back. I went back there and things didn’t work out,” he said.
“The door was open for me to sign at Brentford when Andy Scott was there. I had some great memories from there and still look out for their results.
“I basically told Ipswich I wanted to stay there for another six months and play games because I knew there was a chance I’d go back to Ipswich and not play. It was close but the deal didn’t go through and I went back to Ipswich.”
Moore went on to play for Stevenage and Dover before pitching up at Kingsmeadow, where he has become a firm fans’ favourite for his combative displays.
One of only a few familiar faces this season, given Neal Ardley’s summer recruitment drive, the tenacious Moore has been pleased with Wimbledon’s fine start to the campaign and sees no reason it can’t continue at Griffin Park.
“We’re going to go there full of confidence on the back of today’s performance,” he said in the wake of the Dons’ 2-0 win over Fleetwood on Saturday.
“It’s a chance to get to Wembley. We’re looking to get into the next round.
"From one to 11 and with the subs as well, it was a complete team performance. We didn’t give Fleetwood any time on the ball. You can’t afford to give teams time on the ball when they are good side like Fleetwood. We were good in and out of possession.
“We’re not getting carried away. We were down there [last season] and everyone has come back that little bit hungrier this year to make sure we’re not back down there.
"Looking at the Fleetwood performance, if we can put it more like that then there’s no reason we can’t be up there come the end of the season.”
