Omar Bugiel showed his striking prowess once again with an impressive double that lifted Wimbledon into the play-off zone.
The 2-0 victory – avenging the defeat at Priestfield Stadium in November – was fully deserved as the Dons were well in charge before Gills defender Conor Masterson was sent off in the 38th minute.
With this being the proverbial six-pointer, the way this win was achieved mattered little, but it was delivered in absolutely emphatic fashion.
Once again, the Dons were defiant at the back – that’s now four successive clean sheets – and the attacking edge was served up by that man Bugiel.
As well as making it 10 goals for the season, Bugiel continues to lead the line with true quality, the all-action striker having stepped up to the mark impressively since the departure of Ali Al-Hamadi.
Make no mistake, this was an overall team display to make all in yellow and blue proud again, as Wimbledon edged closer to making those play-off dreams a reality.
With the Dons only a point behind Gills heading into this fixture, it was all to play for in the battle for play-off places, and Johnnie Jackson’s men headed into the game with confidence high after defeating Notts County on their own patch. Two changes were made to our starting line-up with John-Kymani Gordon replacing James Tilley and Ronan Curtis in for Josh Kelly.
It didn’t take long for Wimbledon to threaten, the breakthrough almost made in the sixth minute when Omar Bugiel struck a powerful volley that Gills keeper Glenn Morris did well to palm away from danger.
In a first 20 minutes that ebbed and flowed with both sides showing attacking intent, the visitors also came close. Connor Mahoney’s shot from the edge of the area after a half cleared corner was heading for the back of the net, but Lee Brown watched it all the way to clear off the line. However, Wimbledon had shown the greater attacking threat and Curtis came close to yet another goal on home turf with a header that flashed just over the crossbar.
There was not too much longer for the home faithful to celebrate taking the lead – and the goal was certainly worth the wait. After the initial corner was cleared, Jake Reeves delivered an inch-perfect cross to pick out Bugiel in the box. There was still plenty to do for our Lebanese striker to find the net, but he was well up to the task as his deft header bounced in off a post for a smartly taken opener.
That goal was a massive boost in such an important game and Wimbledon were given a further advantage in the 38th minute when Conor Masterson was sent off for a second bookable offence. Just minutes after hacking down Armani Little with a challenge that could have been a straight red, Masterson stupidly tugged back Gordon and the referee had no option but to deliver the ultimate punishment.
The Dons had an opportunity now to make the points safe and twice before the break followed opportunities. First, Josh Neufville was denied by the keeper after a fine solo run, and then Gordon had a shot well saved by Morris. The half ended with Wimbledon 1-0 up and certainly value for more after dominating the first-half.
Wimbledon had a great chance to double the advantage 10 minutes after the break when Bugiel produced a fine run down the right before crossing to find Curtis, but his shot was too close to Morris.
However, it was effectively all over in the 65th minute when Bugiel made no mistake once again. The striker reacted swiftly to get there first after a powerful drive by Reeves had been well saved by Morris. Though Gordon had a deflected shot saved by Morris and substitute Josh Kelly was also denied by the Gills keeper, it mattered little in the grand scheme of things that Wimbledon’s search for a third goal came up short.
The victory made it three wins out of four – 10 points from 12 – and it meant that the Dons moved into the top-seven. With only eight games to play, it’s a great position for the Dons to be in at this stage of the season and the strength shown at both ends of the pitch certainly suggests that we can stay in the play-off zone come 27 April.
AFC Wimbledon: Alex Bass, Lee Brown, Jake Reeves, Kofi Balmer, Josh Neufville (Isaac Ogundere), Armani Little, Omar Bugiel (Josh Davison), John-Joe O’Toole, Ronan Curtis (Aron Sasu), Jack Currie, John-Kymani Gordon (Josh Kelly).
Att: 7,527 (1,206 away)
