Ryan Clarke may be knocking of the door of his mid-30s, but AFC Wimbledon’s first summer acquisition insists he is entering his best years.

The goalkeeper signed forms at the Cherry Red Records stadium on Wednesday after being released by Northampton Town.

Clarke did not play a league game for the Cobblers last season, and only made four appearances in cup competitions.

And although he has more than 450 first team appearances in a 16-year career, only a handful have been in League One.

However, despite the lack of game-time or experience in the English third tier, the 34-year-old insists he is as fit as ever and has at least two years of his best form ahead of him.

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“People say that goalkeepers get better with age, and when I was 18 or so, I would scoff at that kind of remark, but it’s true,” he said.

“The way I feel at the moment, and as long as I keep fit, I would back myself to do well in any team at this level.

“After not playing last season, I know I need to put in the work before this season starts, and I need to put in the performances week in week out for the club, and also for myself.

“There are two very good keepers here, and none of us have a given right to start the first game. We will be just pushing each other to be the best we can and then it’s up to the manager.

“Goalkeepers tend to stick together, so we’ll support whoever is playing.”

He added: “But I feel I am peaking right now, I am entering the best part of my career and although it will be a tough challenge, I am looking forward to it.

“We need to find our feet quickly, but we know every game is going to be massive, there are some big teams in the league.

“There is nothing to say we cannot compete, but we need to be at our best in every game.”

Clarke’s move to Dons does not have its roots in the summer, in fact he and Neal Ardley were talking even before the play-offs.

It meant Clarke was watching the final with a vested interest, but irrespective of the result, he reckons he would always want to sign for Dons.

“We had a general chat towards the end of the season, but they could not do anything until they got the play-off business sorted,” he said.

“I thought Dons would be promoted once they reached the play-offs because Portsmouth had all the pressure and Plymouth Argyle missed their chance.

“But even if it had not happened, I wanted to sign for Dons because even with their short history, what they have achieved is incredible.

“They are everyone’s second team, and at this level of football they are a big club.”

Clarke already knows the fixture that sticks out like a sore thumb, adding: “I’ve not been here 24 hours, but when the fixtures came out, it was the MK Dons match I looked for first.”