‘Maybe he doesn’t get the credit that he deserves’ – Dons captain on boss Jackson after reaching play-offs
BY EDMUND BRACK
edmund@slpmedia.co.uk
Jake Reeves believes that boss Johnnie Jackson has not got enough credit for guiding AFC Wimbledon to the League Two play-offs.
The Dons secured their top-seven spot last Saturday after a 1-0 win at Grimsby, who could have leapfrogged Jackson’s side and booked their own play-off position with all three points.
Ex-Charlton manager Jackson has been in charge at Plough Lane since May 2022 and has finished 21st, 10th and now fifth with the South Londoners.
“Maybe he doesn’t get the credit that he deserves sometimes, particularly when we’re going through a sticky patch,” Reeves told the South London Press.
“You have to remember where the club was when he came in.
“I remember that season and if the league had gone on for another month then Wimbledon could have been looking at a different present right now.
“They would have definitely gone down again. That’s the job he took over. To rebuild that each year you need stability, time and a club that is willing to provide you time to do that.
“Not every club does that. Luckily our club does things a little bit differently and you do get a bit of time to try and bed in your own ideas.
“This is his third season now and every season he has finished higher than the last. When you look at that, you can’t say anything other than what a good job he has done.”*
Jackson is 14th in the longest-serving managerial stints across the 92 clubs in the top four divisions in the pyramid.
The former Colchester midfielder extended his contract, along with assistant Terry Skiverton, in February 2024.
“You don’t get time in football these days,” added Reeves. “You’ve got journalists and fans on your tail. You have people who are willing to stick the knife in at any opportunity, whether it’s deserved or not.
“No football club is perfect and no job is easy either, particularly when you come into a club on the verge of back-to-back relegations.
“To push them on in your third season in charge to the play-offs is remarkable.”
Wimbledon will play Notts County across two legs – with the first clash taking place at Meadow Lane tomorrow evening – for a place at Wembley and the chance to win promotion to League One.
“You just have to play your game,” said Reeves, reflecting on his experience of reaching this stage of the season before. “You have to trust the process and trust where you’re at – you’re there for a reason.
“No doubt the games will be tight and tense. It’s just about how you deal with that as a player. That’s what I’ll be giving to some of the lads and particularly the younger lads who have not been here yet.
“Don’t play within yourself – you have to go out and make those moments happen.”
Reeves spent the 2020-21 season in the National League with County, making 43 appearances as they reached the semi-finals.
But his full focus is on Wimbledon heading into tomorrow.
“It’s a nice little storyline I suppose, for yourselves,” said Reeves. “I had a good year there and I really enjoyed it. I probably wasn’t there long enough to be a huge emotional tie. It will be no different to the previous times I have played against them.”
Reeves won promotion with the Dons via the League Two play-offs under Neal Ardley in 2016 – a 2-0 win over Plymouth at Wembley securing a League One spot.
The 31-year-old, who also won promotion with Stevenage automatically, said: “I’ve done both and play-offs add more drama to it.“When you do win, it feels that bit harder earned and a bit sweeter.
“There is more riding on the play-off games and the final. I hope [the Grimsby game] has given a few lads a little taste of that kind of mental pressure.
“Play-offs was always the aim and anything above that was a massive bonus. We did really well to keep ourselves in the conversation but we just fell a little bit short.
“The aim is to improve the club every year. That’s one job ticked off but we’re not going to be happy with just getting in there.
“If we come out of these games with two results we don’t want, we will be disappointed.
“Now we’re here, we want to go all the way.”
