AFC Wimbledon can put realistic target on Walsall's back with help of forgotten January signing | OneFootball

Osman Foyo could go from forgotten man to promotion hero if he is allowed the chance over the remainder of the season

AFC Wimbledon's January transfer window was quiet, but the addition of Osman Foyo, on paper, showed a lot of promise.

However, since signing, he has barely featured, despite the cries of supporters to let the youngster, who Wimbledon feel has a lot of potential, have some good gametime on the pitch and see how well he can impact a game at this level.

His latest, and so far longest, cameo, though, showed exactly why, for once, the supporters may have been right in letting him have a chance, and now his clear quality has been seen, the Dons can start to put together an attack plan for hunting down Walsall, which should start with the former Ipswich youngster featuring more often.

How Osman Foyo can help AFC Wimbledon beat Walsall to promotion

Dons boss Johnnie Jackson may have his reasons behind why Osman Foyo has not featured too much since signing for Wimbledon back in the January transfer window, but from his latest showing, he has given Jackson the perfect headache about who he starts and who he drops out.

The former Charlton Athletic boss opted for a front three of Omar Bugiel, Josh Kelly and Matty Stevens, which, on paper, is probably the strongest attack the Dons had available to them, given Marcus Browne's absence from the team on Saturday.

However, against a stern Harrogate Town defence, all three starters struggled to find the net, with Josh Kelly the one that got the closest to scoring out of the trio. So, with 30 minutes still to play, Jackson went through with the rare but inspired decision to give the youngster longer than his previous cameos.

His debut for the South West London side was his longest appearance from the bench up until being told to be the difference on Saturday, and having shown that he could make an impact all the way back in February, he more than delivered in his most recent showing.

Supplying Alistair Smith with an inch-perfect, composed pull-back, following a mazy dribble, to help the Lincoln loanee slot home the winner, Foyo proved exactly why he should have been given many more chances than Jackson had given him up until that point.

So how exactly can he help the Dons now chase down and overtake Walsall in the race to achieve automatic promotion?

Well, it all comes down to his unpredictability.

Wimbledon have become far too toothless in their attacks, with the known formula being get the ball into the box for Matty Stevens to stroke home. However, teams have worked out exactly how to stop that happening, and given the fact that Stevens has scored double the amount of goals that Wimbledon's strikers have combined, this has meant that goals have pretty much dried up, with the odd goal being scored here and there otherwise.

But if Foyo were to be allowed more opportunities from the get-go from now until the end of the season, he may just be able to help the Dons hunt down the faltering Walsall, as his blistering pace, and calm composure, now evident in his game being something that the Dons desperately need.

The Saddlers, who were finally knocked off of top spot this weekend in League Two, having occupied that spot for what feels like an eternity, are in free fall when it comes to their form; unacceptable for a side gunning for promotion, and certainly the sign of a team that will fall away from the chase for automatics.

So with the help of a newly found star so late in the season, the Dons may be mistaken for thinking that they can easily set their targets onto Walsall's backs and chase down the stalling Saddlers, but they do have an obstacle to clear beforehand.

Doncaster Rovers are a big hurdle for Wimbledon to clear in promotion race

Donny are indeed the roadblock that stands in front of Wimbledon if they want to achieve the goal of automatic promotion and avoid the drama and nervy play-offs.

And to make matters worse, as things currently stand, Rovers control their own destiny.

They have only lost once since the middle of February, but a lot of their victories have been against sides struggling towards the bottom of the table, or mid-table teams whose fates were decided a while ago and are now very much on the beach with not much else but pride to play for.

However, the facts are that they have put points on the table when Wimbledon have not been able to, meaning they sit two points ahead of the Dons at the time of writing.

Ironically though, next weekend, matchday 42, will see the two come up against each other in Doncaster, meaning it is very much a winner-takes-all situation.

Wimbledon have played well against teams in and around the top seven this campaign, with the Dons only defeated by Notts County and Port Vale, both of which were fixtures away from home and a long time ago now in the season, so while there is promise that could see the Dons succeed, very recent history has shown that there could be some struggles too.

But, if Jackson really does want to follow through with that promising record, as well as go down the all-guns-blazing route, he may as well start with taking the aforementioned punt and give Foyo a much-deserved start following his showing against Harrogate.

There is nothing left to lose now, and it is very much a case of do-or-die in what is the tightest race for a while for not only automatics, but for the title too, so what better time for the former Tractor Boy, who many felt had been left by the wayside in Jackson's plans for the season, to go and make the impact that sees the Dons become a League One side next season.