AFC Wimbledon have genuine belief of League One survival as they end long wait for back-to-back victories

BY DANIEL MARSH

Winning back-to-back league games isn’t something which happens often for Wimbledon. It’s been more than 18 months since they last managed that feat – all the way back in October 2019.

That torrid run finally ended on Tuesday night when Wimbledon brushed Ipswich Town aside 3-0 to follow up on the weekend’s 5-1 triumph at Accrington.

But it’s the manner of the wins that the Dons have recorded this week which will provide more excitement than the fact that they’ve finally managed to string two results together.

Saturday’s dismantling of Accrington was emphatic, if unexpected. But, if there were any question marks over whether or not Wimbledon could use that performance as a platform to build on, then the display against Ipswich should firmly dispel them.

It was the perfect follow-up for a side which has slowly been turning in the right direction ever since head coach Mark Robinson took the reins.

Robinson has spoken about the process and his desire to change the Dons’ style of play as a result.

That has been evident in some promising performances, but until recently the lack of a cutting edge has slowed that progress and relegation fears have heightened as the games tick away.

But the tide seems to have turned now. Wimbledon have gone from a side who managed just seven goals in 12 games before the Accrington fixture to exceeding that total in just four days with a pair of storming displays.

They could have had more than the three goals they managed against Ipswich too.

Ayoub Assal has been a revelation since he burst into the first-team ranks, and he was one of Accrington’s chief tormentors last week. He should have added to his two goals at the Wham Stadium, but was thwarted by Thomas Holy. He went close on a couple of other occasions too, along with Joe Pigott.

Ollie Palmer has looked a different man in recent weeks, and alongside the aforementioned duo, the South Londoners now look to have genuine attacking threats. Ryan Longman’s goal after his late introduction was the pick of the bunch and his ninth strike of the season – having the Brighton loanee back amongst the goals for the final stretch of the season is another positive.

Josh Harrop was dismissed midway through the first half but the Dons were already two goals to the good and by far the better side. Playing against 10 men shouldn’t take any gloss off of the result – I’d argue the hosts actually played better before Harrop’s departure

The appointment of Andy Parslow as restarts coach was one of the first things Robinson did when he was appointed – how it was needed. Some of their set-pieces this year have been absolutely awful. But Will Nightingale’s opener was a great example of the difference that appointment is beginning to make.

Nightingale’s header set the tone for a towering performance at the heart of the Wimbledon backline. Alongside the returning Paul Kalambayi, Nightingale didn’t put a foot wrong all evening.

Ahead of them, George Dobson excelled again as he continues to grow in the spine of a midfield which has gone from being anonymous to imposing and relentless in a matter of months.

Nightingale and Kalambayi provided the foundation of a team which was moulded in the Dons academy – there were six academy graduates on the field by the final whistle, with two of them on the scoresheet.

No-one will be more satisfied with that figure than Robinson, whose fingerprints over this Wimbledon side are slowly but surely becoming more and more prominent.

Over the past few weeks they’ve started to cut out the sloppy defensive errors which had plagued them while simultaneously finding the formula to help the goals flow at the other end.

The improvement in set-pieces is another step in the right direction, and ending the wretched wait for consecutive league wins is testament to the fine job Robinson has done in SW19 over the past couple of months.

The Dons boss embodied the relentless mentality he wants to instill in his team when he discussed how the club still “has to change” following the Ipswich win.

“This club is not built on looking at other clubs [as scalps],” said Robinson. “This is no disrespect to Ipswich, but Wimbledon never used to look at clubs like that as scalps. It was always just ‘we are Wimbledon’.”

These words will be music to fans’ ears, but it’s not just lip service.

It’s a mindset which will serve the Dons well ahead of their six remaining cup finals between now and May, as they nudge cautiously closer to survival and ensuring League One football will be on show at Plough Lane next season when fans are finally welcomed in South London.

STAR MAN
Will Nightingale. Dons defender was vocal for the whole game and led by example. Bullet header for the opener capped a top performance.

BEST MOMENT
Ryan Longman’s clinical finish after sterling work from Shane McLoughlin capped a superb goal on the transition to kill the game off.