“Danny Hylton, Wimbledon’s no. 9”

A warm welcome at long last to Dons latest signing Danny Hylton, who joins on loan from Rotherham. I say at long last because we’ve been trying to sign Danny at pretty much every opportunity since Terry Brown joined as manager in 2007.

It was Brownie who first signed a 16-year-old Hylton for Aldershot in 2005 and he apparently convinced the 6ft striker to sign for the Dons in 2011 before Hylton changing his mind and instead opting to sign an enhanced contract at the Shots. The Dons were again close to signing Hylton last summer after his release from the Shots, with Ardley citing him as one of the players he was most disappointed about missing out on, but Hylton instead signed a 2 year deal with League One Rotherham United. Hylton has only featured once for Rotherham and has already spent a month on loan with Bury earlier this season and now joins the Dons for the rest of the season.

This is a big signing for the Dons and, I think, will prove to be a good move but Hylton is a controversial character and has divided opinion among Dons fans. As an opposition player he’s not endeared himself to the Dons faithful with a degree of “gamesmanship”, although generally when a player irks the opposition fans it’s because he’s performed well, and Hylton has scored against us for both Aldershot and Bury. More difficult to overlook is the episode in 2012 in which it transpired that Hylton had been charged by the FA with what amounts to racist abuse of an opponent, following a fracas after the Barnet game in 2011, ultimately receiving an 8 game ban. Like I say, controversial, although many Dons fans were similarly unhappy with the signing of Saint-Luce last summer after his previous conviction for assault and he seems to have won over the fans with his performances this season. Both players have served their punishments and ultimately I’d rather they be scoring for us than against us.

After the recent signings of former Shots Morris, Jones and now Hylton joining Ross Worner in the Dons squad, it is now starting to resemble the Aldershot squad that got relegated. But just a bit better. (I hope.) What will be interesting to see now will be where this leaves the existing Dons strike-force. One would expect Hylton to be first choice, if fully match fit (which he may not currently be), but which of the fledging Wyke-Midson partnership will make way? Or perhaps Wyke will be retained upfront alongside Midson for the remainder of his one-month loan spell, allowing Hylton to be introduced gradually to build up his sharpness. Or maybe this is the end for either Wyke or Midson. And what too of Sheringham? The Dons have been looking pretty toothless in recent weeks though and I fully expect the arrival of Hylton to change that.

This is definitely the pick of our signings so far but, casting minds back to last year in which when Neal turned an average transfer window to an excellent one with activity right up to the final seconds of the deadline, will there be any more business this January?

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