‘I have kept my eye on him’ – AFC Wimbledon boss Jackson has been long-time admirer of new summer signing

AFC Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson has been an admirer of new signing Alistair Smith ever since the midfielder impressed against the former Charlton manager during his time at Sutton.

The 25-year-old has joined the Dons on a season-long loan from Lincoln City and will bolster Jackson’s midfield options alongside Jake Reeves, James Ball, new signing Callum Maycock and youngster Morgan Williams.

Smith stood out at League Two level during a successful loan in the second half of last season with Colchester.

He made the move to League One with the Imps at the start of the 2023-24 campaign after a stint at Sutton.

He is not the first player to sign at Plough Lane from local rivals Sutton, with former team-mates Omar Bugiel and Josh Neufville also joining from Matt Gray’s side that beat Wimbledon twice in the 2022-23 League Two campaign.

“In my first season, that Sutton team caused us a few issues,” Jackson told the South London Press. “I have spoken a lot about Omar. In those games, he was a real menace. Alistair Smith was a part of that team and he was really impressive.

“I have kept my eye on him from there.

“He got his move to Lincoln at the end of the 2022-23 season. It hasn’t quite worked out for him yet at Lincoln, but I’m sure he has a big future at higher levels.

“I’ve been sweet on him for a while. He was looking at trying to stay at a higher level, but when we spoke with him, we convinced him this was the right place and a really good platform. The success that other players have had with us shows we give players a platform to do well.

“He believed that we were going to be competitive and he would be playing in a good team.”

Smith has 89 League Two outings to his name and has racked up 19 goal contributions from midfield in the division.

“He’s box-to-box – all energy and really physical,” said Jackson.

“He suits us and the league. He’s a player we have been after for a while but were never really in a position to do it. I met the lad last week and managed to convince him to come down.

“We’re well-pleased with that one. He’s done it at the level and is capable of playing higher. It’s a real coup for us.”

The signing of Smith became more crucial after midfielder Armani Little, who featured 44 times in all competitions last season, turned down a new contract to sign with league rivals Gillingham.

“I enjoyed working with Armani,” said Jackson. “He’s a good footballer. We made what we felt, was a really competitive offer to keep him around. But he chose to go elsewhere. It seems like quite a while ago now, so we move on. That’s football – he was a good player for me and I was good for him. We will wish him well.”

The Dons are still in the market for two goalkeepers this summer after Alex Bass, their number one last season, returned to Championship side Sunderland and was sold to Notts County this summer.

Nik Tzanev was released, which means they have returned to pre-season with no registered goalkeeper on the first-team books.

Our paper understands that Wimbledon have agreed everything in principal with Crystal Palace to sign Owen Goodman on loan for the upcoming campaign.

“He’s one we’re speaking about – it’s no secret,” said Jackson. “He’s at Palace and I’m not sure when they go back to training. But, normally, the first question I get asked is about goalkeepers at the minute – and understandably so.

“We’re aware of the situation and we are on top of it.

“We are close to doing some stuff, but we have to be patient and make sure we get the people that we want and not make a snap decision.

“That needs to happen sooner, rather than later.”