Caretaker boss Glyn Hodges pleased with AFC Wimbledon’s efforts despite defeat

Posted Sunday, September 29, 2019 by PA

AFC Wimbledon caretaker manager Glyn Hodges praised his struggling side despite a 3-2 defeat at Peterborough.

The Dons have failed to win in any competition this season and saw manager Wally Downes charged ny the FA with betting breaches this week, leading to him being suspended by the club.

And despite second-half goals from substitutes Mitch Pinnock and Anthony Wordsworth, they continued their run of losing every away match after two goals from Mo Eisa and a great Marcus Maddison strike made it five wins in eight for Posh.

Assistant manager Hodges said: “It was an end-to-end game full of chances. A few individual errors have cost us as they have all season.

“We were punished. Their two front players (Eisa and Ivan Toney) and Maddison in behind, you give them a chance and they will take it.

“But I was pleased with their efforts – they didn’t give up. We really took it to them and I thought they were hanging on at times.

“The players have responded well this week. The sessions were good, they came in and were bright.

“I’ve been in football a long time and it’s the first time a manager’s been suspended when I’ve been involved, but the players have come in and sometimes it’s a new lease of life for some who have been out the team and think they’ve got a chance again.

“Everybody was at it Thursday and Friday and it was a tough selection for the team.”

Maddison’s thunderbolt in the 29th minute opened the scoring, then 12 minutes later Eisa skipped past two challenges down the inside right before finding the corner.

However, the Dons were gifted a goal when Pinnock’s effort squirmed through home goalkeeper Christy Pym seven minutes into the second half.

Eisa restored the two-goal cushion 14 minutes later, finding the corner after being slipped in by Josh Knight, only for Wordsworth to halve the deficit with a 25-yard drive with 12 minutes remaining.

Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson said: “We had to be patient then we got two very good goals.

“When it’s a two-goal lead for any team the next one is the important one. We lost the ball sloppily, which is the real criticism that I’ve got, and the goalkeeper’s made a human error. It’s a freak one.

“We go 3-1 and have opportunities, and if we get the fourth we probably win by more, but we didn’t and they scored their second and it was far more uncomfortable than it needed to be.

“But when you get a performance and a defeat like we did at Doncaster (last week), the most important thing was to get the win.

“We could have six or seven or probably more, but the three goals we did get were high quality. Mo’s finishes were outstanding. He makes them look easy.”