Four takeaways from AFC Wimbledon’s 2-2 draw at Harrogate – sorting Pierre deal should be top priority as bad run throws up more questions

AFC Wimbledon threw away yet another lead, this time a two-goal advantage, against lowly Harrowgate Town yesterday.

The hosts equalised with the last kick of the game.

An otherwise improved performance counted for nothing as the Dons showed once again a failure to close out a game and an ongoing inability to get the basics right as their hosts capitalised on schoolboy defensive errors with the second goal coming from a corner.

Ethan Chislett scored in each half to put the South Londoners in apparent control only for Luke Armstrong and Levi Sutton to cancel the lead out in the 89th and 98th minutes respectively.

Here are Dave Hunt-Jackson’s takeaways.

THE JANUARY WINDOW IN PROPER PERSPECTIVE

Manager Johnnie Jackson has repeated blamed the recall of Ryler Towler from his loan and the sale of Ayoub Assal in the January window as reasons for his team’s woeful form since.

The problem with this excuse is it fails to acknowledge the incoming players in that same window.

Ali Al-Hamadi has looked a class apart since his arrival from Wycombe and has been every bit as productive as Assal.

Sam Pearson was so impressive on his first start on Saturday that it begs the question why he has been used so sparingly during his loan spell from Bristol City.

Aaron Pierre was man of the match against Harrogate and the late goals were cruel on him. He has taken a while to get up to speed but was outstanding on Saturday.

Armani Little and Casey McAteer have also both offered more consistency in midfield than the departing Paris Maghoma.

Yes, there have also been injuries. But only Josh Davison, Harry Pell and Nik Tzanev would likely have started on Friday and every team is suffering losses through injury at this stage in the season.

The simple fact is that, even allowing for the disruption, Wimbledon’s performances have been way below what this group of players should be capable of in a division that is very significantly less challenging than last year’s League One.

INCREDIBLE SUPPORT DESERVED BETTER

Some six hundred fans made the trip to Harrogate, as well as a number without tickets, and they made their presence felt in a crowd of less that 3,000 at a ground where average gates are just over 2,200. That’s less than a third of Wimbledon’s average attendance and bottom for the league.

Like Barrow, Harrogate has no academy. This should have made the visitors’ overwhelming favourites and yet although they were the better side over the first 88 minutes they still could not reward their huge following with a first away win of 2023. With next year’s season tickets soon to go on sale the cost off the pitch of the failures on it could be significant.

GET AARON PIERRE SIGNED UP

The big defender has been a thorn in Wimbledon’s side over the years, with Wycombe and then Shrewsbury. Having recovered something like full fitness, he looks the real deal again. Having just turned 30 he surely warrants an extension to the deal that he signed until the end of the season. On his day he is arguably the best centre-half in the club and might be vital next term given the injury frailties of the likes of Will Nightingale and Paul Kalambayi. He could be a useful tool in the development of Luke Jenkins too.

AS BAD A RUN AS ANY SINCE REJOINING THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Although the runs that cost firstly Glyn Hodges and then Mark Robinson their jobs were worse numerically than this season, they were in a higher league against much harder opposition.

AFC Wimbledon have won just once – against an awful Walsall outfit – since beating Stockport at the end of January.

One win in 14 games has them 18th in the League Two table.

During that run they have played five of the six teams below them and picked up just two points, both in games they led by two goals. That is relegation form with the club lucky to already have points on the board as they plummet down the table. Most worryingly it’s a team getting worse – not better – repeating their mistakes time and again.

You have to accept that an inexperienced manager will take time to learn his craft but with over a season under his belt at Charlton and now with the Dons there is very little evidence of this happening.

There is no sign of the club making changes or even recognising a situation that is fast becoming a crisis.

At the moment the optimism at the start of the season seems a very, very long time ago and despite the best efforts of the club to talk about preparation for next season, while ignoring the issues, it is very hard to see how things will improve under the current regime.