Stuart Maynard happy to win ugly as Notts County battle past AFC Wimbledon

Posted Sunday, October 20, 2024 by PA

Notts County boss Stuart Maynard was happy to win ugly as his side battled to a 1-0 victory against AFC Wimbledon.

Matthew Platt’s scrappy 67th-minute goal proved to be enough to see off the Dons and keep the Magpies within two points of League Two leaders Port Vale.

And Maynard was happy to see his players dig deep to claim a first victory in three league outings.

“That is a huge win,” Maynard said.

“AFC Wimbledon are very hard to beat. They make it very difficult for you, they make it ugly and we were not at our fluent best.

“But we showed again our grit and determination to win the game of the football, and a clean sheet which I am absolutely buzzing with.”

AFC Wimbledon dominated early on and County goalkeeper Alex Bass had to save from Matthew Stevens and Omar Bugiel early on.

But County claimed all three points when Platt bundled in Matt Palmer’s second-half corner.

Maynard added: “It was an ugly match and one when we watch it back will not be easy on the eye.

“But we knew that before the game, we said it would be a different type of game.

“If (Wimbledon) win their games in hand, they would go top of the league and top for a reason.

“Bassy, the goalkeeper, just makes you so calm in the first half. Some of the shots that were fizzed in, and he just made it look easy, he must have glue in his gloves.”

Wimbledon sit 11th in the table, eight points behind leaders Port Vale with three games in hand, but have now won just one of their last four league outings.

But manager Johnnie Jackson was happy with the performance despite the defeat.

“It was a close game and we knew it would be with the way that they play, but we had the opportunities in the game to win it,” Jackson said.

“I cannot complain about the performance. The game was there to be won. We were just unlucky.”