AFC Wimbledon continue unbeaten start to 2025 with comfortable win over promotion-chasing rivals Crewe

BY MITCHELL HALL

Johnnie Jackson was pleased with the professionalism of his AFC Wimbledon side to make their man advantage count as they beat promotion-chasing Crewe 3-0 at home on Tuesday evening.

The cagey opening stages were blown open when a back post challenge on Omar Bugiel was declared a Dons penalty, and a straight red card for Crewe defender Jamie Knight-Lebel.

Matty Stevens made no mistake in dispatching the penalty, before Wimbledon’s lead was doubled as Bugiel touched a cross down in front of captain Jake Reeves, who drilled a strike across goal and into the bottom left corner.

Stevens would add a second to his tally early in the second period when he reached an Alastair Smith through ball, curling it home to cap off a dominant victory.

The win took Wimbledon into the top four of the table, thanks in part to a stellar home record which has seen them secure a win and a clean sheet in their last four league contests at Plough Lane.

“For the first 20-25 minutes, it was a pretty tight game,” said Jackson. “They came and made it difficult for us. They set up to be hard to beat and for us not to be able to play through them easily.

“We worked a good opening, got a penalty for the foul on Bugiel, and then the red card, obviously that puts a different complexion on the game.

“Now we have got a massive leg up in the game, but it is down to our good play, and from then on it was a much more comfortable evening.

“After that I thought we managed it really well when we could. When we went ahead, we got the second one before half-time and then we were not troubled at all.

“We spoke at half-time about staying disciplined, keeping 11 on the pitch and not allowing it to be evened up, because if we kept 11 on the pitch I was really confident that we would go on to win the game.

“These games are important – all these points are important – so I understand why there was an edginess to the game.

“It was about being professional. Can we go and get that third and really kill the game and just be professional with what we have done?”

Wimbledon remain unbeaten in 2025 and are just one point outside of the automatic promotion places going into Saturday’s game against fellow promotion hopefuls Salford City at Plough Lane.

“We are nine unbeaten and it is another win tonight, so we are looking forward to Salford,” he added.

“We are excited knowing it is a tough game, it will look different to tonight.

“We are loving our football. We are enjoying it. When the boys walk out on a Saturday or a Tuesday, we have full confidence in them that they can get a result, but we are also well aware that we haven’t done anything yet.

“We’re on a good run. Good runs can turn into bad runs really quickly in football, especially with the schedule that we have got, so it’s important that we keep just doing what we are doing and stay grounded.”

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD