Mark Robinson admits AFC Wimbledon lacked confidence in dull draw at Gillingham

Posted Wednesday, February 23, 2022 by PA

AFC Wimbledon manager Mark Robinson admitted his side played without confidence in the 0-0 draw against fellow League One strugglers Gillingham.

A quiet first half at Priestfield Stadium finished goalless, with neither side creating many chances to open the scoring.

Substitute Terry Ablade came within inches of earning Wimbledon their first victory in 14 league games, but his acrobatic overhead kick six minutes from time crashed off the bar.

Robinson said: “We still didn’t play with any confidence, which we still need to find, but there was plenty of character.

“We dug in at the end, put our bodies on the line, and we’ll take a point because we didn’t deserve more than that tonight.

“Sometimes, getting a point like this one tonight can be a catalyst.

“It wasn’t a good performance, but it could be a big point at the end of the season.

“We didn’t think we were carrying enough of a threat, so we looked to change it up with Terry [Ablade] and Aaron Pressley.

“They made a difference – Terry’s overhead kick was one of the few moments of quality in the game. It was a great effort, to be fair.

“The draws have killed us all season – I think 11 or 12 teams have lost more than us in the league. If three or four of those were wins, we’d be having different conversations after games.

“We’re a young side, but I’ve got to keep them believing. Once we get a win to end this spell, I’m confident we can go on a run.”

The result leaves The Dons in 20th, two points above the relegation zone.

The Gills drop down into 23rd and are five points off safety.

Gillingham manager Neil Harris thought his side should have taken all three points.

He said: “The only disappointment is that we should have won the game. Is that a positive? Yes.

“We look at that as a really strong performance, but we just couldn’t score. I think Max (Ehmer) should score, and V’s (Vadaine Oliver) header is the big one, but I thought we made a lot of chances, and we built sustained pressure.

“That’s a pleasing thing – if we’re going to be successful between now and the end of the season, we’re going to have to keep doing that.

“I thought there were some brilliant performances individually, and collectively we were good.

“That’s something we can build upon come Saturday at Lincoln.

“Eight points from six games now is a positive for a team for whom the damage was done earlier in the season. Games will run out; I’ve known since I’ve come into the club that we need to win games of football.”