Hatton is competing with Hoyte for a place in Wimbledon's starting XI

“As our all-time record appearance maker, Hatton has to be considered one of AFC Wimbledon’s greatest on-field success stories as he has developed as the club has progressed”

You do not have to be a regular down at Kingsmeadow to realise that there have been widespread changes to the home of the Wombles.

The stadium has got a little bigger, we have had the likes of Paulo Di Canio in the opposition dugout and Carlsberg is now the standard lager available at the bar.

Let your mind travel back to around this time last year. 18 January 2011, to be precise. Terry Brown’s AFC Wimbledon side travelled up to promotion rivals Fleetwood Town on a cold Tuesday evening, where a Danny Kedwell (who else?) goal earned a valuable away point for the Dons.

A year on, only four players survived to make the starting XI against Macclesfield on Tuesday 24 January 2012; goalkeeper Seb Brown, left-back Gareth Gwillim, midfielder Sammy Moore, and record-appearance maker Sam Hatton.

Despite an upturn in our fortunes on the pitch, Hatton has still been the subject of criticism for his poor performances and careless use of possession. This has not gone unnoticed by Brown, as Hatton had to settle for a place on the bench away at Port Vale and did not feature in the match day squad against Aldershot.

Perhaps the most damning news was the announcement that Brown had brought in Arsenal’s Gavin Hoyte on loan to provide competition for Hatton at right-back. And it was Hoyte who usurped Hatton in the starting XI in the Aldershot match.

Indeed, lack of competition was one of Hatton’s biggest problems. Gwillim has Chris Bush pushing him; only three of Jack Midson, Luke Moore, Jason Euell, Christian Jolley, Jason Prior and Byron Harrison can make the starting line up; Jack Turner is desperate for game time should Seb Brown perform poorly while Rashid Yussuff, Billy Knott, Sammy Moore, George Moncur, and Ricky Wellard are all competing for positions in the midfield.

Furthermore, we rely too heavily on Hatton for creative duties. I feel he often feels the responsibility, especially when things are not going well, to attempt the killer ball. Unfortunately, while he may try this four times, it may only come off once, leaving him open for criticism when his long passes do not come off.

Similarly, he is put under unnecessary pressure, more than any other player in the side, as a result of our ‘play out of defence’ strategy. This was particularly noticeable in the 2-1 win over Macclesfield, where Brown, Callum McNaughton and Mat Mitchel-King insisted on passing the ball to Hatton, even when it was clear he did not want it and was subsequently put under pressure and still expected to deal with it.

As our all-time record appearance maker, Hatton has to be considered one of AFC Wimbledon’s greatest on-field success stories as he has developed as the club has progressed. A graduate of Stevenage’s academy, Hatton has been with the Dons since May 2007 and a first team regular for most of that time, whether it be in central midfield or at right-back.

Hoyte’s arrival will add some much needed competition, and while some Dons fans may not agree, I hope that Hatton is able to make the step-up again and win back his first team place.