Johnnie Jackson feels his AFC Wimbledon side are more than capable of beating teams at the top end of the table in the wake of our 0-0 draw against Northampton Town.
It was our second successive goalless scoreline in Sky Bet League Two, however our manager stated that we can be proud of the way we defended against a side who are bidding for promotion this term.
“It’s frustrating but I’m proud of my players and their performance,” he said. “The hard work they’ve put in, the way they’ve defended and their shape was good. I want to be coming to these places and winning, I think we’re capable of it. We’ve got the right mentality and willingness to put in the hard yards to do that.
Watch the interview down below.
“I genuinely feel we’re capable of beating these teams that are higher up the league. I can’t feel downbeat by the result when my players have given me what they’ve given me and the supporters have got behind us in the way they have.”
Johnnie rung the changes for the trip to Sixfields, with Ali Al-Hamadi, Jack Currie and Saikou Janneh coming in from the start.
The gaffer was pleased with the trios’ impact but admitted that our side needs to be more decisive in the final third.
“Everyone that came in knew their roles. I wanted to make changes to freshen it up as opposed to making too many – it looked like us and was very much the team we have been.
“We didn’t exploit those situations enough. We need to find that final bit of quality in those moments, whether it’s a cross or a shot because too often we’re not getting them right. The squad knows that. We’re not conceding but we need to find a way of becoming more of an attacking threat.
“We have to approach Saturday’s game with the same mentality that we’ve shown against the teams at the top end of the league. It’s important that we don’t change our attitude and our mindset. Something is going to turn and we are going to start scoring more goals. Someone is going to be the hero.”
PICS: Dennis Goodwin (Pro Sports Images)