AFC Wimbledon: Alistair Smith's weekend performance will silence Lincoln City, Colchester United critics - View | OneFootball

The former Lincoln and Colchester midfielder was back to his dazzling best against Carlisle United at the weekend

Alistair Smith came into this weekend's game shouldering plenty of expectation, with injuries and positional changes meaning he was set to be AFC Wimbledon's midfield general.

However, as many Dons fans have come to expect from the silky midfielder, he took to the task and performed superbly, looking like he was barely breaking a sweat.

And having had a tough year or so in the world of football, it does feel as though his performance against Carlisle United was the game in which he silenced a lot of critics from former clubs Lincoln City and Colchester United.

Alistair Smith's dominant midfield performance

The Scottish midfielder had to play in this new role thanks to injuries to a couple of key members of Johnnie Jackson's squad, which has meant a little position shuffling for the former Charlton boss.

In defence, Joe Lewis was ruled out thanks to an injury sustained away at Salford City, which has seen James Ball step in to fill the spot, and in midfield, captain and typical midfield general Jake Reeves has not fully recovered from an injury that saw him hobble off the field against bitter rivals MK Dons.

That all meant Smith was tasked with being Wimbledon's 'Sergio Busquets' on Saturday and the 25-year-old took to it like a duck to water.

From the get-go, he kept himself positioned well in front of the defence, acting as a shield for any early attacks, and as the game developed into complete dominance from Wimbledon's point of view, he continued breaking up play in the centre of midfield, before helping to start Dons attacks or become part of them as the team piled forward to compile the misery onto a beleaguered Carlisle side.

He even had a part to play in Matty Stevens' second goal of the game, taking an arrowing shot from distance that was poorly saved by the visiting keeper Harry Lewis, which then landed at Stevens' feet for him to tap home.

Not only to the fans was Smith's performance absolutely brilliant but he also impressed the man who tasked him with such a difficult role to fill upon Wimbledon's return home this past weekend.

Speaking to the press after the game, Jackson said: "I thought he was great, and he's stepped up well into that role that Reevesy plays so well.

"He got us playing, he got on the ball and kept it ticking and, overall, was a real catalyst for us.

"He also broke up play well and that's something that we've been working on with him, in that role, over the last few days in training, and he was just a natural at it all today."

When Smith signed up with the Dons for this season, those of the more pessimistic persuasion could've argued the side from SW19 were just getting a reject from a League One side that had no plans for him.

However, his brilliance in the yellow and blue shirts of the Dons has shown that he just needed the right environment in which he could develop.

When Smith signed for the Imps back in 2023, he was coming off the back of two great seasons with Sutton United, in which he'd made 78 appearances, scoring 14 goals from midfield and laying on another five assists for teammates. However, upon becoming a part of the Lincoln setup, it was clear he wasn't the right fit for how they wanted him to play.

Often moved out of position, he never clicked at Sincil Bank, appearing 32 times in his half-season there, scoring only once, quickly falling out of favour with boss Michael Skubala and becoming a bit of frustration for the Imps fans who could appreciate the potential, but were not seeing it soon enough on the pitch.

So he was naturally moved out on loan to Colchester United to see if he could not only improve his playing time but begin to show glimpses of the player he had been at Sutton.

For the most part, he did well, becoming a key member of the U's squad. In the second half of the 23/24 season, he would play 15 times for the Essex-based side, and would even score twice, netting against Forest Green Rovers not long after he had signed, and against Tranmere Rovers at the tail end of the season.

However, he was part of a team that just couldn't keep hold of leads and would let points easily slip from their grip, showing that he had still not quite developed into a dominant midfielder who could grab a game by its scruff and control it himself.

These days of being played out of position, or not being the brilliant midfielder everyone felt he could, do now finally seem long behind him, as his performance against a woeful Carlisle United side proved.

Still yet to score for the Dons, it should not matter too much if he does not find the net that often, as, if he plays as superbly as he did against Carlisle for as long as Wimbledon have him this season, he will remain a firm favourite at Plough Lane.

Saturday's performance went some way to quietening any Wimbledon doubters, as well as those at Lincoln and Colchester, but it's about delivering that as the season wears on for Smith now.

If he can do that, he should prove a key figure in their promotion push and may well earn a permanent contract offer next summer, when his current deal with the Imps is up.