Riley Harbottle: Dons only halfway to Wembley – it’s time to finish the play-off job

EXCLUSIVE
BY MITCHELL HALL

Riley Harbottle was the hero for AFC Wimbledon when he headed the only goal in the first leg of their League Two play-off semi-final against Notts County’s – but his celebrations after a vital challenge on Alassane Jatta were almost as energetic as those after what proved to be the winner.

The 24-year-old is a Nottingham Forest fan and was an academy graduate and first-teamer for them until his departure in 2023. Glory in his home city did not arrive in the way he might have expected.

Harbottle’s first goal in Dons colours was huge. But he has downplayed the emotional impact of the goal, insisting now is a time for calm and hard work over celebration with the second leg at Plough Lane looming tomorrow night.

“It is a brilliant start, but that is all it is at the end of the day,” Harbottle told the South London Press earlier this week.

“We are halfway to getting to Wembley, but you do not get anything for being halfway.

“We have got another job to do at the weekend. We have to take the same attitude and application into Saturday. It is another massive game and we will be going there to win it again.

“I did not feel more pressure than I do normally in any other game – it was more of a privilege and a nice thing because I had a lot of family and friends who were able to come to the game.

“Pressure is a privilege and I definitely try to thrive off the big occasions. I really enjoyed the night.

Harbottle’s influence was felt at the other end of the pitch on Saturday, sliding in to clear an open-goal tap in away from Jatta to keep things level.

The delight on show was mirrored by Josh Neufville when he also made a crucial intervention to deny Notts County a sure goal.

Harbottle joked: “I probably feel the emotion of making a last-ditch tackle a little bit more than scoring a goal this season.

“Owen (Goodman) has made quite a lot of really good saves as well. It shows the togetherness of the team, that when Josh clears it off the line there is me, Owen, Ryan Johnson, everyone is absolutely buzzing that we have kept it out.”

Saturday’s group celebrations were indicative of the camaraderie within the defensive unit throughout the season, which Harbottle credits for their excellent performances.

The Dons had the league’s strongest defensive record this season, conceding 10 fewer goals than the next sturdiest side despite Harbottle, Joe Lewis and Ryan Johnson all struggling with injuries.

“The credit for the togetherness goes to the gaffer and to Craig Cope, they have built a squad of good lads,” said Harbottle, who signed a two-year contract with the Dons in August 2024. “Ryan Johnson, Joe Lewis and Isaac Ogundere, I class them as three of my best mates in the team.

“We are competing for a shirt but we absolutely all love each other and we want the best for each other, so we are pushing each other every single day.

“Ogundere has been a breath of fresh air for the group and myself. He might not have been playing at the weekend but he is the first person to come up to me after the game – our relationship has been phenomenal.

“That is one of the main reasons we have been so successful, the togetherness. Whoever is playing, everyone will support, and whoever is not playing is pushing and keeping the levels high.

“Joe Lewis and Johnno have been absolutely outstanding all season and Lewis is the best centre-half in the league by a mile.”

Harbottle is no stranger to having a goal of promotion, having been at Forest when they were promoted to the Premier League, before missing out on the League Two play-offs with Mansfield on goal difference in 2023.

“You have to take the experiences you have had and learn from them,” he said. “I did not play a lot the season that Forest got promoted but I was around and I saw what it takes.

“The season we missed out at Mansfield, the league that year was a really good one and a lot of teams achieved high points.

“It was a tough season, like it has been this year. I just used that motivation to make sure that we got the job done this time.”

The journey for Wimbledon this season so far has been one of wildly swinging form, marred by injuries and the damage to their pitch in September, after the River Wandle broke its banks, which derailed a stellar early season run.

Manager Johnnie Jackson is approaching the end of his third season in charge with finishes of 21st, 10th and fifth – improvement in every campaign.

Harbottle has highlighted the resilient spirit of the Dons as a reason why they continue to compete and create “magical moments”.

He said: “We were all disappointed about the automatics because we believe with the players we have got here that we had a really good opportunity of getting automatics this year.

“But football moves fast. We have got a great set of lads and a great set of staff that changed the focus to the play-offs straight away.

“We have had a really good season. If you had looked at the start of the season and said we would be in the play-offs, finish fifth in the league, you would have taken it.

“We have to stay positive and believe in what we are doing here. When the club sticks together, special things have happened at this club before, and I honestly think we can do that again this year.

“But we have achieved nothing yet – Johnnie Jackson made it clear that it is only half-time and we have got another half to go.

“We have to get our heads down, work hard this week and get ready to win the game on Saturday.”