Johnnie Jackson hailed his side’s 4-0 victory over Swindon Town yesterday as “one of the best” under his leadership.
The victory over the Wiltshire club saw the Dons sneak into the play-off spots as the League Two season inches towards the midway point.
AFC Wimbledon got off to a rapid start at Plough Lane, with Omar Bugiel scoring after just six minutes. Despite the Robins easing back into the contest towards half-time, they failed to crack the home side’s defense.
It was fairly plain sailing in the second 45 minutes with Armani Little doubling the advantage, scoring a screamer from outside the box in the top left corner of Murphy Mahoney’s goal.
Swindon Town couldn’t get going once again, failing to register a shot on target against Alex Bass as the afternoon wore on. Ali Al-Hamadi bagged a brace in the final quarter to rack his tally up to 10 this season, putting him joint-ninth in the race for the golden boot.
Johnnie Jackson was thrilled with the Dons’ display, telling club media: “It was a brilliant performance, right up there with as good as we produced under my tenure.
“I’m really proud of the boys today, the way they performed with and without the ball, the goals they scored.
“Everything went brilliantly today and it was a great day for the club.”
The victory put Wimbledon on a six-game winning run at the Cherry Records Stadium in all competitions, a far cry from last season’s campaign which saw them finish 21st.
On building momentum through the streak, Jackson added: “We have to make this the horrible place we know we can make it for opposition.
“It means starting fast, getting after the ball, we won the ball back in great areas and that led to [Omar Bugiel’s] goal. We looked real menacing in the opening stages.”
Wimbledon travel up north to Salford City, with the Ammies in the midst of an injury crisis and having not played a game in what will be three weeks by kick-off on Saturday.
Writer’s View
A convincing win against Swindon Town will be a great confidence boost for Wimbledon. The Dons looked convincing all game and held strong, limiting their opponents to just one shot on target.
Shutting out the league’s top scorers is no easy feat either, so praise must also be given to the defensive unit. Johnnie Jackson will be proud of his team and will have a great opportunity to get more points on the board against a Salford side stretched thin with fitness issues.
It was another night to forget for Swindon fans. Despite their offensive brilliance all season, they were shut down by Wimbledon. Two wins against strong opposition in Mansfield Town and Accrington Stanley are high points following that disastarous streak in October and November, so Michael Flynn will look to those results as fuel to get the Robins back on track following this tough loss.
Swindon are joint-second for goals conceded this season, and will need to strengthen their defence in January to have any chance of a play-off spot this time round.
Football journalist with The Real EFL since 2023. A 2024 Multimedia Journalism graduate from the University of Salford, Lewis specialises in Salford City FC and EFL coverage.
