AFC Wimbledon return can help Joe Pigott banish Ipswich Town, Portsmouth demons | OneFootball

Joe Pigott's return to Plough Lane is perhaps the most ideal move possible for both player and club this summer

AFC Wimbledon added to their strikeforce last week by bringing back fan favourite Joe Pigott on loan from Leyton Orient.

The forward needs no introduction to Wimbledon fans, with the 30-year-old forward having scored 54 goals in 157 appearances that spanned four seasons of League One football.

However, in more recent times, the forward has not experienced any real success at the likes of Portsmouth, Ipswich Town or Leyton Orient, so a move back to more familiar surroundings might just be the best move for the player, and may prove to be a brilliant bit of business for the Dons.

Joe Pigott's quiet spell following Wimbledon success

As stated, the forward has a formidable scoring record at the Dons, and even holds the coveted honour of being the first player to score a competitive goal at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, better known as Plough Lane.

However, in the time since those four great seasons for the South West London side, the forward has been rather quiet in front of goal, and has not settled at any of the sides he has made moves to.

There is perhaps no better example of this than at the club he signed for after turning down a new deal at the Dons, Ipswich Town, who at the time were under the doomed leadership of Paul Cook.

Under the current Chesterfield boss, the Tractor Boys flattered to deceive in League One, with the club finishing 11th, and Pigott, having only been given 22 League appearances, of which only 10 were starts, scored twice, a far cry from what many Ipswich fans had expected when the then 27-year-old arrived.

Following that disappointing season, Pigott headed out on loan to Portsmouth in hopes that more regular game-time in his favoured role up front, might just bring the goals back. However, once again, that was not the case.

Instead, during Pigott's time at Fratton Park, the forward only managed to double his measly goal tally from two to four. This time, he achieved that in 35 League One appearances.

Having failed to make the loan spell count, Ipswich allowed Pigott to find a new permanent home last summer, and he opted to join Leyton Orient on a free transfer, following the termination of his contract at Portman Road a year before it was due to run out.

However, once again, Pigott's talents were still not rediscovered at Brisbane Road, as the striker only scored twice in the league and created such disappointment among fans, that upon his move back to SW19 last week, many Orient fans were seen commenting in celebratory manor on the Os' official X page.

That, however, may have been premature, as a return to Plough Lane gives Pigott the ideal opportunity to prove the doubters that have most certainly grown over the last three seasons, completely wrong.

Joe Pigott's return to AFC Wimbledon is perfect for club and player

While that statement does seem crazy considering his performances since leaving the Dons, there is perhaps nowhere better for Pigott to return to and find his feet once again, while also contributing to what the club hope to be a successful season.

First and foremost, there will be no pressure on Pigott to come back to Plough Lane and become the main man once again, as Omar Bugiel has seemingly taken up that mantle since the departure of Ali Al-Hamadi last season.

Add to that the younger, more surprising options of Josh Kelly and Matty Stevens to offer a different option to Bugiel, either alongside him or replacing him from the bench, and all Pigott has to do is concentrate on his football and unearth the player Wimbledon fans know he can be.

The player that Wimbledon fans grew to love at the club is a striker that is all-action in the box. Pigott is a player that can sniff out an easy tap in, tower above defenders and slam home a header, or even produce the completely unexpected, and under Johnnie Jackson, if allowed to play his poacher-type role that saw him score plenty, he will uncover these talents and begin to find the net more consistently once again.

If Pigott does begin to find the net more regularly, then the Dons may have just struck the jackpot in making this move happen, as Pigott is out of contract next summer and if he does fall back in love with his football at the club, it would make perfect sense for the Maidstone-born striker to re-sign for the Dons, this time, permanently.

If the club are to re-sign the forward on a free in a years' time, then it would certainly align with the new sustainable transfer plan too, which is something that Wimbledon have seemingly adopted since last summer.

The loan signing of someone so focal, and well known at the club, can only indicate great things to come for Wimbledon this season, and the club will have to do exceptionally well to find themselves a more perfect signing in the remainder of this window.