‘I have never quit anything in my life’ – Mark Robinson reaction as Dons make it 21 games without a win

AFC Wimbledon head coach Mark Robinson has reiterated that he would only resign from the role if he lost the players.

The Dons lost 1-0 to Cambridge United at Plough Lane on Saturday afternoon.

Cambridge opened the scoring when Adam May curled a stunning shot past Nik Tzanev within seconds of the second half getting underway. The New Zealand goalkeeper got a hand to the effort, but the placement beat him and gave the visitors the lead.

The 46th-minute strike turned out to be the difference in the encounter, with Wimbledon failing to record a shot on target during the entire second half.

Wimbledon are now 21 games without a win in all competitions and are a point from safety.

The Wimbledon board offered their full support and backing for Robinson in midweek.

When asked if he had offered his resignation at any point during the winless run, Robinson said: “If I felt that I lost the players, of course, I would offer to resign. But I have never quit anything in my life, and I have never failed anything in my life long term.

“That’s the board’s decision. We have had lots of conversations – they have come down to the training ground, and they can see the players.

“There is a reason why a manager’s lifespan lasts 16 months on average across the board, that’s because football is a knee-jerk industry and people get sacked and don’t get a chance to build things.

“I know long-term that I can build it, but that’s a club thing. I don’t doubt myself. I’m sure if the club had a queue of people ready to take the job over, I’m sure they would come and tell me.

“If the club came to me and said that they think there was a man to get us out of it, then we would have to look at that situation, because the club is far more important than any individual.”

When asked whether he still believed that AFC Wimbledon could survive this season, with the Dons 21st in the League One table, Robinson added: “Anything can turn on a result.

“You win a game, and all of a sudden, the confidence comes flooding back.

“Of course there is always a chance. Fundamentally, it’s 20 games [without a win], which is obviously an awful run, but we’re still in with a fighting chance.

“There are plenty of other teams still struggling as well – otherwise, we would be rock bottom and down after a run such as this.

“We have picked up points, and other teams are struggling as well, so we have now got to look at it as a seven-game season and do everything we can to get out of it.”

PICTURE: LUCY DIXON