‘Unacceptable’ – Johnnie Jackson laments AFC Wimbledon’s set-piece defending after 3-2 defeat at home to Stevenage

AFC Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson labelled his side’s set-piece defending as ‘unacceptable’ after their 3-2 defeat at home to automatic promotion hopefuls Stevenage on Tuesday evening.

The Dons took the lead in the 39th minute through Ali Al-Hamadi.

The ex-Wycombe forward, who joined the South Londoners in the January window, scored his third in three consecutive outings after he met Armani Little’s cross towards the back post to bundle past Toby Savin.

Steve Evans’ side equalised in the 55th minute after a quick corner from Jake Forster-Caskey found Carl Piergianni unmarked. The Stevenage captain headed past Tzanev to bring the score level.

Stevenage counter-attacked from a short free-kick routine six minutes later and Jordan Roberts eventually turned the ball over the line to give the visitors the lead.

Wimbledon equalised in the 74th minute after George Marsh played a delicate chip over the Stevenage defence for Kasey McAteer to latch onto.

The Leicester City loanee drilled the ball along the face of goal for Al-Hamadi to turn his second of the match beyond Savin.

The visitors sealed all three points nine minutes later after a free-kick from Dan Sweeney landed at the feet of Luke Norris at the back post, wiith the Stevenage striker drilling a shot beyond Tzanev and a sea of bodies on the line.

Wimbledon have now only picked up one win in their last 10 League Two outings and sit 11 points off the play-off places.

“I do know how we lost it,” said Jackson.

“We conceded poor goals. With the balance of the play and how we performed, it doesn’t feel like we have come away with what we deserved.

“That’s football. If you don’t defend your box in key moments, it makes it difficult to win.

“I thought we played really, really well in the first 45 minutes. We controlled the game, we created a lot of openings and we got one goal – we should have had more and been out of sight at half time.

“It was two set-pieces from our point of view – it doesn’t matter who was on the pitch or what formations you’re playing – you have to defend those situations better, which we didn’t do.

“It has cost us. For all our good play, the chances that we had, the way we moved the ball and the way we created problems, to get done by cheap goals like that, for me, is unacceptable.”