Johnnie Jackson urges AFC Wimbledon to make the most of games in hand

Posted Sunday, November 17, 2024 by PA

Matty Stevens’ two late goals pushed AFC Wimbledon into the top 10, but manager Johnnie Jackson reckons the Sky Bet League Two table could soon make even happier viewing.

Stevens scored his ninth and 10th goals of the campaign after inside two second-half minutes to earn the Londoners a first league win on their travels since August 24.

But the club’s early-season pitch problems means the Dons have at least two – or in some cases three – games in hand on most of the sides above them.

“We are a good team,” said Jackson. “Ask any side who has played us so far, they will say they have had a proper game, whether we have won or not.

“The pitch troubles have put a false light on where we are. Now we’ve got to make those games up.

“And while we have them in hand we still need to be picking up points when everyone else plays as well.”

Joe Pigott seized on skipper Niall Canavan’s error to fire the visitors into a second-minute lead, but a poor goal-kick by Owen Goodman led to Andrew Dallas equalising just before the break.

With the contest heading for stalemate, Stevens stepped in to earn Wimbledon all three points.

“If you are going to try and do anything and be successful you need your forwards to be scoring goals,” added Jackson.

“Matty has got previous at this level for scoring lots of goals and getting out of the league as a player.

“It was a close game and in the balance for quite a while. Fortunately, we had the moments of quality in the second half to take the game away from them.”

Barrow dropped to 12th after a sixth league game without a win, though remain only three points outside the play-off places.

Boss Stephen Clemence said: “It’s so frustrating. We have to keep going. The only thing you can do when you are in these sort of runs is to stick together and keep working hard.

“The boys deserve more points than we have picked up in the last five or six weeks. For whatever reason, it hasn’t gone our way.

“But we can’t wait for it to happen, we have to make sure it goes our way.

“We gave them a goal in the first couple of minutes, which is unlike us. But the boys came back really well and being level was the least we deserved.

“But the second goal was another disappointing one to concede and to concede again, the game was difficult to come back from.”