Johnnie Jackson has called for his players to look at themselves and their performances after we lost out to Northampton Town 2-0.
Two goals either side of half-time overshadowed what was a largely positive first-half as Wimbledon fell to the Cobblers, the opposition doing little to earn their points in the grand scheme of things.
The gaffer was naturally disappointed with the full-time result but certainly felt that there could have been another outcome on a different day if we had taken our chances.
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“It’s a difficult one to take. I don’t think there was a lot in the game,” he said. “There were some good moments for us, but ultimately the two penalty boxes were the deciding factors. Their goalkeeper made some good saves, but there were opportunities that I’d expect my players to take.
“We’ve given away two freak goals. One was of our own doing and the second was unfortunate as well. Things seem to be going against us a little bit, but that will turn. We have to look at ourselves and the role that we’re playing in it. We have to work even harder than we have been.
“I’ve seen a lot of good stuff. I’ve got a really good group. They’re all hurting. We feel like we should have more to show in terms of our points tally. There’s lots for us to improve upon and work on, but there’s also a lot that we’re doing well.”
The Dons lined up with a 4-3-3 formation for this league game, and it was an approach which was close to paying dividends in the first 45 minutes as we saw some good opportunities go begging.
“It worked to an extent," reflected Johnnie. "We looked dominant and strong in the first-half. I thought the system was working well. It caused them a lot of problems down the flanks, with our wide players and full-backs joining in the attack. It wasn’t a game of tactics that lost it for us, it was just those big moments that didn’t go our way.”
In response to falling two goals behind, Johnnie threw on strikers Kyle Hudlin and Quaine Bartley in a bid to get back into the contest.
“With the way the game was going and the conditions, I felt it was a night to get two strikers on the pitch and maybe go a little bit more direct. That’s not the way that we play, but I just felt that it was something that we needed to look at."
Johnnie also confirmed that Nathan Young-Coombes was withdrawn in the first-half due to a knee injury, but it was too early for our medical department to determine the extent of it.
PICS: Stephen Flynn (Pro Sports Images)