AFC Wimbledon secured their first win in their last five League Two games with a convincing 2-0 victory over promotion rivals Notts County at Plough Lane, thanks to goals from Joe Lewis and Alastair Smith.
Here is Mitchell Hall’s lowdown from the match.
THE LINE-UPS
Wimbledon: Goodman, Ogundere, Lewis, Hutchinson, Neufville, Smith, Reeves, Tilley, Browne (Maycock 76), Stevens (Kelly 83), Bugiel (Pigott 89). Subs not used: Ward, Foyo, Harbottle, Sasu.
Notts County: Bass, Bedeau, Platt, Johnson (McDonald 46), Hinchy (Macari 46), Abbott, Palmer, Tsaroulla (Gordon 91), Grant (Edwards 91), Whitaker (Jarvis 67), Jatta. Subs not used: Slocombe, Cisse.
SNAPSHOT OF THE GAME
Wimbledon looked comfortable at both ends of the pitch from the outset, defending rigidly with a back five and finding fortune on the break. These counters produced set-pieces as County scrambled to block shots from all around the box. These situations paid dividends when Joe Lewis darted in from the back post to direct a James Tilley delivery into the net off the far post in the 21st minute. The Dons doubled the damage through a thumping Alastair Smith volley from the edge of the box 15 minutes later, Smith powering it high into the net and leaving Alex Bass with no chance in the net.
Tactical tweaks and some stern words during the break were enough for Notts County to improve considerably in the second half, dominating possession, but once again failing to produce convincing chances. The closest they came was Alassana Jatta’s close-range effort that crashed against the crossbar, but even that was the result of a fortunate deflection rather than incisive passing. Close efforts from Matty Stevens and Callum Maycock could not extend the Dons’ lead either, and the game finished 2-0 to the hosts.
TACTICAL APPROACH
Wimbledon’s most significant change was the introduction of Sam Hutchinson at left centre-back, replacing the absent Ryan Johnson, who was unavailable due to a minor shoulder issue. The Dons settled into a back five out of possession to keep up with Notts’ attacking threat, and looked to use Omar Bugiel’s hold up play to break away when they regained the ball. Bugiel played the role perfectly and launched attack after attack, a great performance even without a goal.
County played a similar shape to Wimbledon initially, but after their first-half struggles switched to something closer to a 4-3-3 for the second period, with two substitutions in the backline. This helped them provide more threat when building-up, but they still failed to work it into the box and create tangible chances.
STAR MAN
Joe Lewis. His performance will mostly be spoken about in regard to his fantastic headed goal, but it was a dominant performance at the other end of the pitch that cemented his place as the star of the show. Facing down the physicality and movement of joint league top-scorer Jatta is an unenviable task for any defender, but Lewis clearly relished the duel. Every 50-50 and block was cool and emphatic from the Welshman, frustrating Jatta to the point of him switching on to Sam Hutchinson in hopes of an easier battle. He did not find one.
MOAN OF THE MATCH
Hesitation in the midfield. It is harsh to critique too much a performance that won the Dons a crucial three points against fierce competition, but there could have been quite a few more goals if the midfield had not dallied away so many promising runs in behind. Even captain Jake Reeves seemed hesitant to commit to the through ball while his side held their lead, despite normally being so effective at finding his team-mates in tough positions. The conservative approach worked in the end, but a two-goal cushion is a nervy one at times.
TALKING POINT DOWN THE PUB
The Dons broke the duck which saw them go four games without a win in League Two, and it came at the perfect time to reignite their promotion chase. County were the most formidable opponent in that run, and a win against them will remind the players that they are not fourth in the league by accident, and that they have the quality to go all the way. Eyes will be on their favourable upcoming run of games to regain their form and stake their claim among the top spots.
WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY
“It was a great result against tough opposition and a team that is in and around us in the table. It was a really significant result in that regard and it was a really good performance. We were good on both sides of the game, out of possession we were strong in our shape, and in possession we caused them a lot of problems and created all the chances, so it came together nicely. They have got dangerous players that can hurt you if you get it wrong, Jatta is one of the best centre-forwards in the league and the boys kept him really quiet today so credit to them, a really good team performance.”
PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD
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