Wimbledon manager Jackson names defense as team’s biggest strength
Even though AFC Wimbledon managed to get a draw out of their last League Two game against high-flying Bradford City on Saturday, manager Johnnie Jackson was not totally satisfied with his team’s performance.
“We want to try and win every game but we recognise what we’re up against; a really good Bradford team”, Jackson argued. “I thought they defended really well even when down to ten (men). It’s a point but obviously we always want three. We want to push towards the top end of the league.”
A second-half red card for the Bantams’ Jamie Walker sparked hope of a late three points amongst the Dons players and support.
“They go down to ten and you think it’s and opportunity. We were pushing and the keeper has made that unbelievable save there from [Ethan Chislett’s] free kick and a couple of other saves,” Jackson said.
There was also a little bit of luck missing: “A couple situations where it didn’t just quite fall for us. I think one another day we would get one [goal] and go on and win it but wasn’t to be.”
The Dons have been unable to turn good performances into victories this season. They have not been able to find the conviction to win those games. This has resulted in multiple hard-fought draws.
Jackson is sure that his team will grow in this aspect: “We’re in a good way, four points outside of the play-offs. But if we want to close that gap, we do need to turn these draws into wins. We are doing a lot of things right as a team. If we continue to perform like that, we’ll pick up a lot of points.”
The Wimbledon coach sees the biggest strength in their defence: “We don’t concede a lot of goals. We look solid. If you want to do anything and be a successful team, you need to be solid and you need to have that defensive foundation. I think that, first and foremost, is the key to every successful team.”
There were a few new faces on the pitch for the Dons following a flurry of activity in the transfer market.
“Armani [Little] and Ali [Al-Hamadi] have had one session with us, so I think their contribution today was alright to use them from the bench but I think they both came on and impacted the game well,” was Jackson’s assessment.
Third new signing Sam Pearson was part of the starting line-up and left a positive impression: “Sam’s obviously been with us a little bit longer and done well as well. It’s just nice to have these options when you are trying to impact the game.”
On the other side, the Dons saw Ryley Towler and Paris Maghoma leave after they were recalled by Portsmouth and Brentford respectively. This came as a surprise to Wimbledon and Jackson: “I wasn’t really prepared for that. We had a dialogue with their clubs before and they were really happy with us and the job we’ve been doing with them. We thought that they’d stay in place.
“It’s disappointing for us but that’s what happens when you have loanees come in and do well.”
But Jackson has decided to look at the situation from a positive perspective. He wants to focus on the “fresh energy” the new players can bring in.
He has further plans for more possible signings in this transfer period: “There are still probably one or two [players] that hopefully are gonna come and help us in the second half of the season.”
