Iconic defender says it's been 'an amazing life'.
Milton Keynes football legend Dean Lewington has admitted that this year he has felt ‘distant’ from the team as the club played out one of the worst seasons in their history.
The 40-year-old talisman announced earlier this month that after 20 years at the club, he is calling time on his illustrious playing career which spans more than 900 competitive games.
He says he’s not sure how he will feel after this Saturday’s home match against Grimsby, but adds that he hopes he won’t be emotional.
“I don’t think I will (feel emotional)," he said. “Records are just a list that you’re top of. But it’s the end of the career so it’s going to feel different because it means so much to me. It’s your life, so it’s going to affect you, but hopefully I will be alright.”
But the award-winning club captain admitted that this has been a difficult season for him, as the team plummeted down the League Two table and he found himself playing fewer and fewer games.
“This is as distant as I have ever felt from the team,” he admitted. “Not being involved in squads, not being in half the games – it hasn’t been a good season for me in that.
“Coming back at the start of the season I kind of knew that it would be the last one and was hoping the club would do well and it might end up with a promotion or something at Wembley, but it’s not really been that way, and I have felt distant from it in terms of day to day.”
But he looks back fondly on his amazing career as a one-club man, which is a rarity in the modern football world.
“I’ve had 20 years here and I’ve had an amazing time,” he said. “Even when the results are bad you know your job is amazing.
“It is actually a privilege to wake up and come to work where you get to kick a football around. Sometimes you have to pinch yourself and think ‘I’m actually getting paid to do this’, it’s the best job in the world.
“It’s just an amazing life and I have been really fortunate to be able to live it for 20 years.”
There’s just one thing that Dean won’t miss about being an MK Dons player when he hangs his boots up for the last time.
“The pre-match meal,” he said. “It’s the only real negative. I don’t think I can eat any more chicken, pasta and beans.”
