Following a chat with Neal Ardley and a tour of the training ground, it did not take Chris Whelpdale long to decide his immediate future lay with AFC Wimbledon.

The 29-year-old winger put pen to paper on a deal for an undisclosed period on Tuesday, making him Dons’ second signing of the summer after last week’s capture of goalkeeper Ryan Clarke.

Having watched the Dons’ unstoppable ride to Wembley and the play-off title, it was a no-brainer for Whelpdale following his release from Stevenage.

He said: “I came across to meet Neal for a chat and see the training ground.

“I liked what I saw and what he was talking about, and I thought it was right up my street.”

He added: “There was a real togetherness about the team last season and I like that about a club.

“It comes from the manager and how he instils it in his team. You could see it as the season went on and that run towards the end of the season was great and it was behind everything they achieved.

“They fully deserved to win at Wembley. It was a good game and the run they had been on meant they were unstoppable.

“It was a great season and a great story, and I would love to be part of a new story.”

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In his time at Stevenage, Whelpdale made 62 appearances and scored 16 goals, but it his time in League One with Gillingham, and the Championship with Peterborough that catches the eye.

He made more than 100 appearances for both clubs in a career that began in 2008 at Billericay.

“I have played two or three seasons in League One and I have won promotion as well, so I have a lot of experience,” he said.

“I understand the league, and could be useful in helping some of the younger players deal with the pressure of playing at a higher level, at bigger grounds and in front of bigger crowds.

“They are more than capable of doing that I am sure, but the big difference between League One and League Two is that you will get punished for mistakes.”

He added: “You also need to be more consistent in performances, the higher you go the more consistent you need to be.

“We’ll need that if we are to achieve the primary goal of staying in League One - that has to the most important thing, before giving ourselves a platform to build on.”

Whelpdale may have been impressed with the management of Dons, and although he is yet to meet his new team-mates, he already knows a few of the faces and regards them highly.

“I played with Barry [Fuller] at Gillingham and Darius [Charles] at Stevenage, and of course I have played against many of the players in the past,” he said.

“It’s a good team, it’s part of the reason I joined, but I am also keen to play in League One again, I know I am capable of doing that and I am really looking forward to the challenge.”