AFC Wimbledon: Festive period pivotal to new deal for 2024/25 fan favourite | OneFootball

James Ball's contract is up at the end of this season, and the upcoming run of games could be crucial to any renewal

There are plenty of contracts up for renewal at the end of the 2024/25 season for AFC Wimbledon, and while a fair few would be painful departures, the potential departure of James Ball may be a step too far.

The popular utility man has ingrained himself into the side this season, becoming a crucial member of the squad with an experienced head on his shoulders and a fan favourite for his style of play.

So many fans may be wondering if manager Johnnie Jackson is going to reward Bally, as he's affectionately known, with a new deal, even with League One football potentially on the horizon, and the upcoming festive period filled with games may just be the key to unlocking that answer.

How James Ball became such a popular figure at AFC Wimbledon

Upon announcing that the club had signed Ball from his previous club Rochdale on X (formerly Twitter) last season, the comment section flooded with Dale fans sarcastically wishing Wimbledon "good luck" and sending their "sincere apologies", and to many Dons fans, this could have been enough to turn them away from showing support for their new signing without him having kicked a ball.

However, things would soon change when, against Forest Green Rovers, he scored his first goal, a great header from a corner, and overall looked like a solid, combative midfielder in Johnnie Jackson's 23/24 side.

He would then go on to make an appearance alongside young Morgan Williams in the Carabao Cup against Chelsea, and not only coached the young midfielder to an excellent performance, but also personally helped to keep an expensive Chelsea team from controlling the game and forced them to bring on £200m-worth of midfielders in Enzo Fernández and Moises Caicedo to get hold of the tie.

But from there on out, he would not feature too often, losing out on a lot of gametime to the favoured pairing of Jake Reeves and Armani Little from the start of games, as well as popular substitute Harry Pell. While losing out on gametime to club captain Reeves was understandable, some fans did feel that losing out to the likes of Little and Pell was unfair on the former Stockport County man, as both were very patchy with their form or impact from the bench.

So when it came to this summer, when both Little and Pell were released following the expiration of their contracts, a lot of excitement and expectation arose surrounding the potential for more gametime for Ball, and a better chance to see him in action.

And that is exactly what was provided, as from the start of pre-season for 24/25, Jackson reworked his team, formation and style of play to favour a strong midfield that had the right mix of creativity, combativeness and agility, and Ball slowly began to look like a lynchpin in the midfield-three, displaying a good combination of all three aforementioned attributes.

However, the emergence of Myles Hippolyte as a left-sided midfielder soon put pay to the 28-year-old featuring in the team alongside the impressive Alistair Smith and the ever-consistent Reeves, and hope from some fans soon started to waver as to whether Ball would ever get a true run in the Wimbledon team to show his quality.

An injury and selection crisis soon came about in Wimbledon's backline though, and seemingly gave the Bolton-born man a chance to solidify his spot in the team and show what he is capable of elsewhere in the team. And he has seized this chance with both hands, in turn making himself into a player that fans often describe as undroppable at times.

He has been able to become a player that Jackson and his fellow teammates can rely on to progress the ball out of defence and into midfield without too much worry, rather like Jake Reeves did before his injury troubles, as well as a player that is aerially dominant and able to mark the toughest of strong forwards out of any game, which is the exact type of player that a lot of Wimbledon fans have been crying out for ever since dropping down into League Two.

Crucial period for James Ball earning a new deal at AFC Wimbledon

So, having praised him for what he's been able to show after such an up and down first season, why is the upcoming slew of fixtures so important to James Ball and his future at AFC Wimbledon?

Well, firstly, he's going to have to show he is ready to step up and be as flexible as he can be as fixtures come thick and fast, and more and more players need rest in the team, or have selection issues themselves such as suspensions to serve. In addition to that he is going to need to show that he can maintain his fitness as he comes ever-closer to 30, a turning point in age for most footballers.

It is also an important time for him as he is going to have to show the leadership qualities that could see him extend his stay with Wimbledon during this winter period. WIth Jake Reeves still a way off a return due to fitness issues, Ryan Johnson has been filling in as vice-captain.

However, if Jackson does decide not to start the fellow 28-year-old for whatever reason, then Ball would be one of the contenders to take on the armband, and even if he does not wear it, he will still need to show that he can be an experienced head in the backline with players such as Joe Lewis and Isaac Ogundere both a bit younger than him.

Then there comes the problems that arise due to some of the talent that Wimbledon have got coming through the academy at the moment, particularly in defence and midfield.

While they may not be nearly as experienced as Ball is, the likes of Ethan Sutcliffe and Leo Young in defence, and Kai Jennings, Harry Sidwell and Reuben Amissah are all hotly tipped to break into the first team soon, and with Wimbledon previously showing that they are prepared to play the youngsters, with Jack Currie helping set that precedent, Ball could be moved on to help provide a good pathway for these young guns if he does not do well over this festive period.

Plus the added factor that the Dons do already have the previously mentioned Lewis and Ogundere along with Riley Harbottle in defence and Callum Maycock impressing alongside Smith and Hippolyte in midfield, the situation does become a little complicated if form drops off for Ball in either position.

However, it does feel like some more quality showing over the Christmas period, with his impressive display in the heart of midfield at Barrow over the weekend being the foundation, will result in an offer of extension sooner rather than later from Jackson. And it will also show the Dons' management team that he can be a reliable figure for the Dons if they are promoted to League One at the end of this season.