JACK RUDONI has the never say die spirit of AFC Wimbledon running thick through his veins.

The teenage midfielder lives life just like the defiant club he plays for and has overcome setback after setback to emerge as a rising star for the League One club.

Rejected by Crystal Palace as a hopeful Under-11, given a second chance by The Dons.

Followed by eight testing months out with a nasty back injury – all by the age of 17 when some kids have only just done their GCSEs.

But Surrey-born Rudoni is now considered a man having turned adversity to his own advantage in the same way as the new AFC rose out of the ashes of the original Wimbledon.

Wimbledon’s versatile youngster has battled back at a club whose gym is a converted squash court at a rented training ground.

WHIZZ-KID

Where Academy Head of Football Mark Robinson has needed charm and diplomacy to strike a deal with the local health club, Bounce, so his young players can make use of the kind of facilities kids at Premier League teams consider the norm.

Predominantly left-footed, Rudoni is handy with his right boot too.

At 6ft 1in and lean as a lamppost he has learned to beef up his game and add the tenacity and tackling which will be required in the lower leagues.

But already his progress has caught the attention of bigger clubs to underline his impressive progress.

That’s why the canny Dons tied him down to a two year contract just a few months back.

Then they sent him out on loan to Corinthian Casuals where he got a taste of gritty football helping them fight off relegation from the Isthmian Premier League.

Rudoni, from Carshalton, had been on the bench for Wimbledon for their away win at Southend.

He is one of four academy kids being given valuable time involved with the first team squad by astute manager Wally Downes.

Playing non League has helped Rudoni mature at an accelerated rate.

Not only was he exposed to real men’s football, he was subject to the kind of sledging that would make even Wimbledon’s legendary hardman Vinnie Jones blush.

All of this has helped put hairs on the kid’s chest.

Kids at AFC Wimbledon do not enjoy the same luxuries taken for granted by boys coming through at the big clubs in England.

Yet he could look every one of them in the eye and if anything has shown even more steel and character to start making his presence felt in football at a club which has a tiny budget, a tiny ground but big ideas.

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