Dons continue strong start to League Two season – as Johnnie Jackson claims birthday win

It was somewhat poetic that AFC Wimbledon’s first win of the 2023-24 League Two campaign came at Colchester United.

Not because Dons boss Johnnie Jackson enjoyed a playing spell there during his career, or because the journey back to SW19 is one of the shorter ones compared to the jaunts up to Grimsby and Barrow.

No, it was more the fact it was the venue when Wimbledon last won away. It had been 229 days – and the full calendar yet to date – since Ethan Chislett bundled a late winner past then-Colchester keeper Kieran O’Hara at the Colchester Community Stadium.

The Dons had suffered seven defeats and five draws away from Plough Lane since then.

But the new-look AFC Wimbledon side that took on Ben Garner’s U’s produced a dominant second-half display to kickstart their League Two campaign into life.

They went close to opening the scoring several times in the first half.

James Tilley’s first sight of Owen Goodman’s goal came in the seventh minute when he collected the ball from Omar Bugiel inside the penalty area and unleashed a left-footed goal-bound effort that was blocked by Tom Dallison.

Ex-Crawley creative spark Tilley was at the centre of Wimbledon’s next chance to take the lead in the 15th minute, combining well with Armani Little on the edge of the box before playing a searching ball into Ali Al-Hamadi.

However the Iraqi forward, yet to get off the mark this season after missing two penalties in consecutive games, failed to connect with the cross and the ball drifted wide. Lee Brown collected and crossed back in for Bugiel, but Crystal Palace loanee Goodman pushed the effort wide.

Despite recording 15 first-half shots at Colchester’s goal, Wimbledon took until the second half to find the breakthrough. Josh Neufville drove past Nico Lawrence and crossed at the back post for Tilley to steer his second AFC Wimbledon goal into the net.

You do wonder how many goals this side will score once Al-Hamadi fully returns to match fitness after recovering from a plantar fascia tear in his foot over the summer.

The 21-year-old went agonisingly close to doubling Wimbledon’s lead six minutes later when Little floated a pinpoint cross to the back post for Bugiel to head back across the goal, only for Al-Hamadi to just see the ball escape his outstretched boot.

The three points were eventually wrapped up and sent back down to South London when Neufville dispossessed debutant Mandela Egbo and slipped Tilley through on the edge of the box.

The 25-year-old jinked on to his weaker right foot and drilled a shot low and beyond Goodman to cap off a well deserved win for the Dons.

Football changes quickly. Wimbledon fans had chanted for the manager to go at the end of last season, but on Tuesday they serenaded Jackson with a song to mark his 41st birthday.

Wimbledon head to Sutton tomorrow unbeaten and looking to lay down a marker for what has been an excellent start to the season.

The clashes against them were the turning points in last season’s turbulent campaign. The 1-0 defeat at home in October became the catalyst for the 10-game unbeaten run in the league that propelled the Dons towards the play-off spots.

And the 2-1 defeat at Gander Green Lane on January 1 saw Wimbledon record just two wins in the second half of the campaign and plummet to 21st in the League Two table.

STAR MAN
James Tilley. At the heart of everything in the first half going forward and grabbed a brace.

BEST MOMENT
Wimbledon fans celebrating their first away win of 2023.

PICTURES: LUCY DIXON