AFC Wimbledon: Johnnie Jackson must take gamble to exploit next league opposition - View | OneFootball

Josh Kelly has not got much of a look in this season, but Johnnie Jackson could take a chance on the striker in the Dons' next league game

Johnnie Jackson may have pulled off a masterstroke in the summer by bolstering AFC Wimbledon's frontline with the quality additions of Joe Piggott and Matty Stevens.

However, in doing so, with Omar Bugiel and Josh Kelly already part of the attack, he created a selection problem that, now the season has begun, has started to rear its head.

Currently, Kelly, who the Dons bought from Solihull Moors in January, has featured the least out of the attacking quartet, and with the frontline hitting somewhat of a dry patch, it might be time that Jackson rolls the dice and gives him a chance.

Josh Kelly deserves a chance to feature in League Two

Kelly's move to Wimbledon was his first step into playing league football, having spent the entirety of his career up until that point in non-league with Maidenhead United and Solihull Moors.

However, when he joined the club, he was presented with the daunting task of replacing the Ipswich Town-bound Ali Al-Hamadi, who, despite his short 12-month stint with the club, had become a Dons cult hero.

And it was under this pressure that he seemingly folded, with the striker only scoring twice in 17 appearances for the team from SW19.

However, over the summer, with much expectation that a rest from football would be greatly beneficial, he came back and impressed. He linked up with the midfield very well, especially with former teammate Callum Maycock, who joined the Dons over the summer, and even went on to become the Dons' top scorer in pre-season, with two goals in six games.

Despite this positivity surrounding Kelly, he has not been given the chance to show any of his new-found confidence, with Jackson only giving him one start, in the Carabao Cup, where he did score, and only three substitute appearances in the league, with his most recent appearance against MK Dons being the only game where he notched any goal involvements, getting two assists.

He did prove to be a thorn in the side of MK's defence, utilising his pace extremely well when the Dons sprung counter after counter in the second half of their victory over their rivals from Buckinghamshire.

It feels as thought it could only take one goal for him to find his confidence again, which is why it almost seems like the club's next game is ideal for Kelly to start.

Matty Stevens should make way for Josh Kelly in AFC Wimbledon's starting XI

While the above statement is not something that AFC Wimbledon fans have been crying out for online, it certainly is in the thoughts of many as we crawl further into the season.

The former Forest Green Rovers striker moved to the Dons in hopes of reigniting his stuttering form that has been a result of a comeback from an ACL injury suffered in 2022, and so far, he has done exactly that by scoring twice in these opening fixtures.

He netted his first for the season from the penalty spot in Wimbledon's crazy opening day victory over Colchester United, and netted his second in the dramatic cup upset over Premier League Ipswich Town, scoring a magnificent header.

However, picking up on that scoring form, it's easy to see why he should be dropped in order for Kelly to be bought in. He has not scored, or even assisted, in the league since that opening day victory.

It may be early days still in the league but with the quality of Kelly behind him, there is plenty of surprise about why he has not been shifted out of the starting XI to make way for Kelly to come in and stake his claim for the partnering role alongside Bugiel.

It could be that Jackson views it as tactically beneficial to keep Kelly on the bench and use his pace to Wimbledon's advantage late on in games when defenders have tired legs, but at some point, that is not going to sit well with him, and he will want to start.

The former Charlton boss must soon take the gamble, break up the partnership between Bugiel and Stevens, that is slowly growing, and instead throw Kelly in the mix once again to give a new dimension to the team.