What is going on at AFC Wimbledon?

Liam Terrington

AFC Wimbledon season ticket holder

I spoke to AFC Wimbledon season ticket holder Liam Terrington about the state of the club. Terrington has watched the club weekly over a number of years and is keenly aware of its ups and downs.

Speaking about earlier this season when the Dons were in a poor run of form, Terrington said: "There was a general sense of unhappiness amongst some members of the fan base.

"Generally AFC Wimbledon fans are very passionate, their club was stolen away from them 20 years ago.

"They have risen through the leagues and last season was the first failure the club has had, in terms of league success, before this run of form we had come off the back of 28 games without a win and falling towards the bottom of League Two.

"I was excited when Johnnie Jackson initially came in, he was a young manager with new ideas and this could be a start of a legacy that he might be able to build."

Terrington said that the view on Jackson when he first arrived was one of optimism as it was the first time for a while that AFC Wimbledon had gone external for a managerial appointment.

However, he then explained that reviews on the manager have been mixed as the team's fortunes have fluctuated throughout the season.

"It started poorly when we played with three at the back that clearly wasn't working but I have to the respect the fact he saw that and went against what he knows, switched to a back four and ultimately that has changed our fortune on the pitch.

"This new feeling of relegation and really struggling is a new feeling to the fanbase and it is something they are not used to since the club's formation.

"Since the start of the season and the initial struggles I have become so much more optimistic.

"We are ten unbeaten and in that we have beaten some big sides like Leyton Orient and gone away to places like Salford and Tranmere and left with good results.

"I believe that we should be pushing for play-offs now, Jackson has a system that is working and the players are starting to gel."

Terrington said that the technical side is not the only thing that has changed, as "we also seem to be using the dark arts bit a more too, being more aggressive and getting into the other teams.

"I feel like AFC Wimbledon teams have lacked that in recent years, Harry Pell is leading us on that front, and I think we should be looking at the play-offs now."

Spike Godding

Producer for AFC Wimbledon pre and post match shows

Spike Godding, who produces the Dons' pre and post match shows gave his insight into Wimbledon's season so far.

"Last season saw us getting relegated for the first time as AFC Wimbledon, and off the back of that 28 game run without a win, I felt that the main priority for this year was regrouping and finding our feet in League Two," he said.

"The season started about as well as we could've hoped, finally getting our first win since December 2021, at home to Gillingham," Godding added.

A 2-0 victory against Gillingham, who also experienced relegation in 2021/22, in the first game of this season gave the Dons hope that they would be able to bounce back into League One.

Godding explained that this optimism didn't last long however, as "any expectations of promotion or a playoff push were dimmed slightly as we only won one league game in August and September, and began the familiar slip down the table.

"A 2-1 home win against Colchester felt like a bit of a false dawn, after we lost away to Walsall, and reached the nadir of our season - a terrible 1-0 defeat at home to Sutton United.

"At this point the boos were fully expected at full time, and lots of fans were questioning whether we'd appointed the wrong man in Johnnie Jackson."

Godding explained that fortunes did shift for Jackson's men eventually though, as "fast forward a month, and we're on a 10 game unbeaten run in all competitions, and just knocked Sutton out of the Papa John's Trophy with a team consisting largely of players from our academy.

The most obvious difference to anyone that's watched us during our poor run and now is the change in formation.

"JJ came in with a reputation as being stubbornly fixed on a 352, and that proved to be the case.

"However, a glut of injuries at CB seemed to force him into a switch-up, and the rewards have been almost immediate.

"The 4231 we're playing now has given the likes of Ayoub Assal (our clear best player) an opportunity to thrive in his best position on the wing."

Recruitment has been a bit of an issue in previous seasons, most notably the last January window which was inevitably the main reason for relegation.

This season however, the summer recruitment has worked well, with Josh Davison and Riley Towler the pick of the lot.

Nathan Young-Coombes showed his raw talent early in the season, however a knee injury has kept him out of action since Wimbledon welcomed Northampton to Plough Lane on September 13th.

Speaking about the transfer recruitment, Godding said: "New signing Josh Davison has proven to be a revelation and is quickly becoming a fan favourite with his non-stop pressing and commitment for 90 minutes, and loanee CB Ryley Towler seems to have cemented his position in our backline next to a pair of academy graduates - LB Jack Currie and CB Paul Kalambayi.

"Captain Alex Woodyard returning from long-term injury around the same time as our unbeaten run started is definitely no coincidence either - he's definitely not the most glamorous player, but is exactly the type of experienced presence we need in the centre of our midfield, and his great form has come as no surprise."

Godding then echoed Terrington about the change is the players' mentality, saying: "Wimbledon FC always had a reputation for 'the dark arts' and it feels like we're starting to re-establish something similar with this group of boys."

The Dons lack of identity was something that was a concern to large proportions of the fan base earlier in the season, however, as Godding says they seem to have established a new side to their game, much to the delight of those in the stands.

"While you won't see a Vinnie Jones-esque crunching tackle within the first minute, you will get Harry Pell, in his second spell at the club, using all of his guile to get opponents riled up and possibly even sent off (as seen with Dynel Simeu) in our win on Saturday against Tranmere," he said.

"I know that's definitely pleased a lot of the older heads among the fans!

"Ultimately, I think the team were in such a horrible place mentally after the terrible run last season, and that was going to take some real work to overcome.

"Even with sweeping changes throughout the squad, it became clear that they were still suffering a hangover from relegation, and credit to everyone involved for finally pulling them out of it.

"We've got an excellent combination of homegrown young talents like Jack Currie and Ayoub Assal, and experience from players like Woodyard and Pell.

"I'm not convinced promotion is a realistic aim just yet, and am actually pretty happy to be looking up the league rather than down, but I never would've thought we'd end up promoted in 2016!" he added.

Speaking about his hopes for the rest of the season, Godding said: "We've already had our fair share of highs and lows this season, and hopefully the good will start to outweigh the bad - we've suffered long enough!""