Powering forward: Seb Favata on the attack as Darren Dobinson takes a tumble for AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday. Deadlinepix Paul Tanner PT1861-B
The man the AFC Wimbledon players have christened Marco Tardelli, after the Italian World Cup winning midfielder, has a common bond with the supporters of his new club. He too was let down terribly by Wimbledon FC.
Seb Favata was at the Milton Keynes-bound club from the age of 10, alongside the likes of Rob Gier, Patrick Agyemang and Alex Tapp.
His burgeoning talent saw Terry Burton offer him a professional contract and a promising career beckoned.
But the moment he snapped his cruciate ligament, the club he considered his family didn’t want to know.
“Wimbledon washed their hands of me,” said Favata.
It was 1999 and the new Norwegian owners had come on board. That was when the club began to change.
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Compassion
“They failed me and showed me no loyalty. Only Terry Burton had any compassion. He was excellent and helped to keep my spirits up.”
The Professional Footballers Association paid for Favata to get fit and he played for three months in the Norwegian first division.
Spells back in England for Croydon and Three Bridges followed before he got the call he had hoped for.
“Terry Eames had spoken to someone at Wimbledon who had recommended me. I was really chuffed. It felt like going back home,” says Favata.
“This is the real Wimbledon. It’s where the fans are and part of the community. It feels like I have never left.”
For more on this story see this week's Wimbledon News.
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