AFC Wimbledon let Notts County and Bradford City off the hook despite Crewe demolition

AFC Wimbledon let Notts County and Bradford City off the hook despite Crewe demolition

During the week, Johnnie Jackson’s AFC Wimbledon easily defeated Crewe Alexandra 3-0.

Even while the game had several positive aspects, there is still a strong sense that the Dons might have done more

with their man advantage over the Staffordshire team.

The Dons do have a respectable goal differential, but by increasing the number of goals scored the other night, they

may have put more pressure on the teams surrounding them.

Notts County, Bradford City fortunate to not have more pressure piled on by AFC Wimbledon

The Dons could have raised the wick during their 3-0 midweek home victory, but the pressure in the promotion

chase at this point in the season is already rather strong.

Wimbledon had a man advantage for more than half of the match, and they were competitive and prepared to fight

for a well-deserved victory even before their northern opponents were reduced to 10 men.

However, maintaining that lead for that long meant that, if manager Johnnie Jackson played his cards correctly

during the half, they could not only capitalise on their numerical advantage immediately before halftime but also use

it for the duration of the second half.

Even though the former Charlton manager did nothing to change the Dons’ strategy, the team would score their final

goal just before the hour mark and then throw the ball around for the rest of the ninety minutes, playing down the

clock minute by minute.

It implies that the 42 goals they have already scored this season have not been increased.

Many great teams that have just missed out on promotion in recent years are vying for the top seven slots in League

Two with some of the best in-form teams. The race for the autos and play-offs is fierce.

Additionally, as the point totals for each club are now rather close to one another,

The teams closest to Wimbledon not only on points, but also in terms of goal difference, are Notts County and

Bradford City, with the trio all boasting great attacks and solid defences, helping keep all three in contention for

promotion to the third tier.

The Dons are only behind Notts, table-toppers Walsall, and Doncaster Rovers in the top seven for goals scored when

examining the goal difference breakdown on a more detailed level.

The fact that they were unable to defeat Crewe more the other night is even more frustrating because they have also

scored fewer goals than teams like Chesterfield, who are in 10th place, and Swindon, who are in 16th place.

Bradford and Notts may therefore feel a bit more at ease knowing that the Dons are not breathing down their necks

any more than they already are, even though the Dons are bolstering their somewhat poor scoring attempts with the

league’s finest defence.

Despite not adding goals, Crewe demolition still had positives for Wimbledon

Picking out flaws in an otherwise excellent evening might sound a bit harsh, but considering how tumultuous

Wimbledon’s second halves have been recently, many Dons supporters still harbour a persistent sense of an

impending disaster.

Despite not being able to apply a bit more pressure to the Bantams and the Magpies, Tuesday night may have simply

reinforced to many that the rest of this season appears to be rather bright for the guys in yellow and blue, with

numerous positives being clear upon the full-time whistle.

Firstly, Matty Stevens found the net again after a mini-drought of four games, scoring a brace with a penalty and a

brilliant first-time finish, very much in the nature of his poacher play-style. No doubt this will have given him a big

boost to know that he has found his scoring touch again, but with the former Forest Green Rovers man now equal

with Nathan Lowe, who no longer plays in League Two, for goals this season, means he looks well in the race for the

golden boot, something he will be keen to earn once again.

Second, both before and after the red card in the 40th minute, the Dons’ defense—the strongest in the division—

maintained yet another clean sheet and appeared unbeatable, holding firm against any hint of a Crewe attack. Thus,

Wimbledon finished the midweek games with the second-best goal differential (+22), trailing only Walsall, the

toppers.

Finally, it appears that Dons supporters know how Johnnie Jackson will continue to play Aron Sasu alongside

newcomer Osman Foyo, who is regarded as the next major attacking potential to emerge from Wimbledon’s

development ranks.

The Norwegian youth international looked like a worthy replacement for Josh Neufville at right wing-back, even

though he was given much more playing time than Foyo the other night. His lightning-fast speed allowed him to beat

his opponent’s marker more than four times in less than 30 minutes, and his defensive work rate also looked

promising, positioning himself well to win headers and making sure to contribute a commendable work rate.

Meanwhile, Foyo looked to be a great option off the left side of the attack to help keep the Dons active in games all

the way through to the end, with his no-fear running and pressing of the opposition almost paying off when he broke

free from the backline and struck an early, but fierce, shot at Crewe’s Filip Marschall.

In the end, there isn’t much wrong with the Dons’ level of performance, both at home and away from home versus

the Alex.

These two games could make the difference for the team when the playoffs or autos are decided at the end of the

season.

The Dons will only hope that, when the time comes, they won’t have to settle for goal difference following a week of

not pressing the accelerator when they had the opportunity to do so.

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