After a difficult January transfer window, a barren run in front of goal and now defensive issues, AFC Wimbledon’s League Two Play-Off dreams are in tatters.
Johnnie Jackson’s side have just one win from 12 games so far in 2023 with no league rival picking up fewer than the Dons’ eight points.
Entering January only two points off the Play-Off places, the side now sit in a lowly 15th place (14 points adrift of seventh-place Salford City) with the run of poor form kick-started by the loss of key players in the winter transfer window.
Loanees Ryler Towler, Paris Maghoma and Nathan Young-Coombes were all recalled by their parent clubs, while Ayoub Assal was sold to Al-Markhiya in the Qatar Stars League for a club-record fee.
And, despite the sparkling form of new arrival Ali Al Hamadi alleviating the Dons’ goal drought with five goals in his last five outings, the departures have proved a step too far as defensive problems also begin to mount.
A 96th minute equaliser conceded to second-from-bottom Hartlepool was the beginning of a run of five games in which Wimbledon have taken the lead in a game and failed to win.
A loss to Gillingham away, followed by back-to-back home losses to Stevenage and Mansfield Town and a tame performance in an away defeat to Doncaster have further frustrated Jackson and the fans.
The manner of Wimbledon’s losses, added with defensive frailties defending set pieces, is not too dissimilar to last season under Mark Robinson.
Robinson’s side had their moments but ultimately were unable to produce the results needed to avoid relegation from League One and since the beginning of last season, Wimbledon have taken the lead in 43 games – winning just 16 of those and dropping a total of 64 points.
This season alone Wimbledon have dropped 25 points from winning positions, more than any other side in League Two.
Injuries have contributed to the dysfunction at the back, and the thin squad Jackson has had to work with has been stretched as far as it can as only five players of a possible seven were named on the bench for the mid-week visit of Stevenage.
Huseyin Biler, Will Nightingale, Alex Pearce, Jack Currie and Lee Brown are all defensive options who have been in-and-out of the team or completely unavailable for selection through injury since the new year.
As a result, a defensive unit that has been the bedrock for a Play-Off chasing side for much of the season is now showing chinks in its armour, most notably at set-pieces.
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Defensive frailties from last season have reared their head once again, with 15 of Wimbledon’s last 21 goals coming from set plays.
“Giving up set-pieces is something that we discussed,” Johnnie Jackson said. “We were doing it too much and making a point of trying not to put ourselves under that sort of pressure, but we’ve done it again.
“It feels like we’re having to work harder to score our goals than the opposition are, and that’s frustrating.”
One of the most frustrating things about the run has been that Wimbledon have played well on a number of occasions, but individual mistakes and the lack of a cutting edge going forward have cost the team dearly.
“I’m saying the same stuff every week,” Jackson said after the 3-1 loss to Mansfield. “We’re in a bit of a rut at the minute, which is ironic because I’m seeing so much good stuff from my team”.
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Instead of planning for a Play-Off run, Jackson is already focused on next season, issuing a rallying cry to members of his squad for the remainder of the campaign.
“I’ve got big decisions to make going forward, on how we shape the side and who wants to be a part of it. I’ll learn a lot of lessons about myself, about the league and about my players.”
“The target for the rest of the season is to win as many games as we can, pick up as many points as we can, but most importantly is to have a clear direction for when this season ends so that we know exactly where we want to go next season.”