“Let’s finish the job” – Mark Robinson reckons the Dons still not safe from League One drop yet

BY DANIEL MARSH

AFC Wimbledon head coach Mark Robinson insisted there was still “more work to do” after their 3-3 draw with Rochdale which left them tantalisingly close to sealing survival.

The Dons came back from behind twice to share the spoils with the visitors, who themselves remain trapped in the drop zone. Goals from Jack Rudoni, Ollie Palmer and Joe Pigott were enough to cancel out Rochdale’s goalscoring trio of Jake Beesley, Gabriel Osho and Jimmy Keohane.

The result moves Wimbledon to the magic total of 50 points – six clear of the teams in the relegation zone with two games remaining. Northampton and Rochdale could still hit 50 points if they were to win both of their remaining games – but the Dons would need to lose both of theirs as well as a swing in goal difference.

Robinson was adamant that his side hadn’t crossed the line just yet.

“One hundred per cent there’s more work to do. You saw tonight they’re a very good side Rochdale, they’re more than capable of winning their next two games. So we’ve got to pick up the points that we need. I know we only need one more point, but we can’t go in like that as our approach. We have to approach both games as if we’ve got to win them.”

Robinson explained just how much survival will mean for himself and his side if they can nudge themselves over the line in their two remaining games – a solitary point would do the trick.

“It means everything,” said Robinson.

“If I didn’t think we could do it [achieve survival] together then I wouldn’t have taken the job. I’m proud of what we’ve built. We’ve been together for 19 games now and we’ve [only] lost five. So their record is excellent and I’m proud of what they’ve done, but that’s why it hurts so much tonight with the manner of the goals. What’s been pleasing is it hasn’t been back to the walls and 10 men behind the ball – we’ve played our way out of it. That’s the pleasing thing, that we’ve played our way out of it and now let’s finish the job.”