After a decade, it’s clear that AFC Wimbledon hit the jackpot with free transfer: View | OneFootball

The 24/25 campaign will mark 10 seasons since Jake Reeves first arrived at AFC Wimbledon on a permanent basis.

The then 21-year-old had previously been on loan at the club, and, having not been given a great amount of playing time at Swindon Town throughout the start of the 14/15 season, he was picked up by former Dons boss Neal Ardley in the January transfer window.

He would go on to have a crucial impact on the team at that time, and then, following six years away from the club, he returned last summer and proved that his signature for the club, both times, has been a stroke of genius.

Jake Reeves' impact 10 seasons ago

Reeves had not found a club to settle at before signing for Wimbledon. The midfielder had come through Brentford's youth system and was shipped out on two loans, one of which was to Wimbledon, while also making fleeting appearances in the Bees' first team.

Following his release from the West London side at the end of 2013/14, he joined up with Swindon on a short-term deal, but having failed to cement himself in the side, he did not renew for the remainder of the 14/15 season and instead linked up with Wimbledon.

Upon joining the Dons, he featured in 16 of their remaining matches in League Two that season, scoring once. However, it would be in the following seasons that he left his lasting impact.

Having been entrusted with forming part of a formidable Dons midfield alongside Dannie Bulman in the 15/16 season, Reeves became metronomic in his role, helping control many games alongside his much more experienced counterpart.

The pair would often help carry the ball out of a defence not built to play out from the back and help the team play out into the wings, their most formidable form of attack, with the likes of Tom Elliot and Adebayo Akinfenwa waiting to receive any subsequent balls into the box.

Not only did he help form part of the Dons' heartbeat that season, but he also came up with a crucial goal in Wimbledon's play-off chase.

Drawing with relegation-threatened York City at home in March of the 15/16 season, he volleyed a brilliant strike into the top corner.

This goal and the eventual result catapulted Wimbledon into a run of five wins out of seven, and saw them sneak into the play-offs for the 15/16 season in seventh place.

For the remainder of his first permanent spell, Reeves would continue playing the same role in midfield, helping the team solidify themselves in League One, as well as scoring rare and memorable goals, with the most memorable being his strike that opened the scoring against bitter rivals MK Dons.

Upon his release at the end of 16/17, there became a noticeable difference, however, and the heart of the team never truly seemed settled, or as metronomic, as when Reeves was a part of it.

Jake Reeves' return to Wimbledon under Johnnie Jackson

The now 31-year-old made his long-awaited return to the yellow and blue of Wimbledon last summer, joining, again, on a free transfer, this time from Stevenage.

Upon signing this time round, Reeves was given the captain's armband and was placed in the team as a conductor for a side that was previously missing a commanding voice to direct them.

He was also placed in a similar role by Johnnie Jackson to the one he first adopted under Ardley, being tasked with taking the ball from defence, and making things happen in attack.

This has proved to be a major success for the Dons, with Reeves' impact on the team being clear in his performance this season, and Wimbledon's final finish in 10th.

He has arguably been the missing piece that Wimbledon yearned for in recent years, a player that can take control of any game and completely calm it down to a tempo where the Dons can start to assert dominance.

That type of player, so typically, no matter what division you look at, will cost money, so for the Dons to pick Reeves up for absolutely nothing again, apart from a competitive wage, can be seen as winning the jackpot. And to do that twice, must feel like finding a needle in a haystack.

Further to this, the experience he will give to the younger midfielders that the Dons are bringing through this season, such as Morgan Williams and Kai Jennings, will be invaluable. He will help them bloom into players that could one day help replace him should he depart anytime soon.

For the moment, however, he is very much staying put. Being captain of a club that truly adore you must surely be an attraction for Reeves. If he can help guide the club back to League One and remain as skipper for years to come, Wimbledon fans will like they've won the jackpot.