Johnnie Jackson: AFC Wimbledon used homecoming to advantage in Carlisle rout

Posted Sunday, October 13, 2024 by PA

Johnnie Jackson believes AFC Wimbledon used their return to the Cherry Red Records Stadium as motivation in Saturday’s emphatic 4-0 win over Carlisle.

The Dons were forced to postpone home games against Newcastle, Accrington and Crewe after flooding backed up the ground’s drainage system, resulting in part of the pitch collapsing.

Jackson’s side were 3-0 up at half-time in their first game back at the stadium thanks to two fine finishes from Matty Stevens and a Cameron Harper own goal.

It was 4-0 shortly after the break as Stevens completed his hat-trick to condemn the Cumbrians to their eighth defeat of the season.

Jackson believes that overcoming adversity is what AFC Wimbledon is all about.

“It was no one’s fault, so we just had to make sure that when we turned back up here, we had energy and enthusiasm about what we were doing,” he said.

“It was brilliant that we could get back here [so quickly] and play.

“That has been the message really all week, that we need to use being back here to our advantage and that is what we have done.

“We know we are a good team, we never lost sight of that.

“It is just frustrating when you are not playing you are watching the results come in and other teams get further away from you.

“This club was built on adversity and overcoming obstacles, it is just another one that has been put in our way, but as always the club has overcome it.

“The way that everyone rallied around when it happened was amazing and it was a credit to everyone for getting the game back on.

“We thought we might not be back here for a long while, so to get the game on and for the pitch to play as well as it did took a huge effort from a lot of people.”

The result means Carlisle are bottom of the League Two table after a difficult start to the season.

In stark contrast, Wimbledon are 10th despite their pitch issues, and now they have three games in hand over many of the teams above them.

Mike Williamson was manager of MK Dons when they lost 3-0 at the Cherry Red Records Stadium in mid-September.

He took the reins at Carlisle five days after that defeat but has only won one game since making the move.

He took responsibility for the result and described the performance as “unacceptable”.

“It was a really poor performance,” he said.

“There are so many things that we need to improve, we need to accept where we are as a football club from top to bottom.

“We knew this coming in, and these boys are in a very difficult place to be.

“We have got to find a way, that was unacceptable from top to bottom, the fans that came all the way down here are sacrificing and that was unacceptable.

“For us, we have got to accept where we are and we have got a lot of work to do.”