Johnnie Jackson paid tribute to our travelling supporters as they stuck with the team on a day to forget for Wimbledon.
A bright first-half was a distant memory when the full-time whistle sounded, with four second-half goals from Morecambe – including three in a 20 minute period - brushing the Dons aside, as we struggled to maintain our composure at a key stage of the game.
Armani Little’s second goal of the season was of little consolation to the 356 Wimbledon fans who made the trip north, and it was them that Johnnie reserved praise for.
Watch the full interview below.
“I told the lads that we should thank our lucky stars that we got clapped off at the end because that could have gone a different way,” he said. “The supporters are the real heroes of the day because of the way they got behind us.
“They’ve applauded us off, they’ve come in their numbers and we’ve let them down in that period. We feel for them, we’ve got to put it right, it’s what we can do, it’s in our power. We thank them for that support and wish them a safe journey home.”
Our manager then went on to dissect a second-half that saw our unbeaten away record come to an abrupt end at the Mazuma Stadium.
“It’s difficult to explain to explain the difference from the first-half to the first 20 minutes in the second-half. We were doing everything that we needed to do, bar scoring. We were completely dominant and playing perhaps the best football that we have all season. If we had taken our chances we’d have been going in 2-0 up.
“At half-time we spoke about needing to keep doing the things that were bringing us joy and that the goals would come. We went off script and conceded a goal after 30 seconds. The complexion changed and we lost our way for 15 minutes, lost our composure and everything that was good in the first-half.
“We went individual for that period. You can’t have success doing that. By the time we found ourselves again we were out the game because we conceded three unbelievably poor goals. We then rallied and for the last 25 minutes at the end we looked like the good team we can be. It was a painful lesson.”
PICS: Paul Thompson (Pro Sports Images)