Johnnie Jackson reaction emerges after “tremendous” AFC Wimbledon performance against Portsmouth | OneFootball

AFC Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson was delighted with his side’s performance in their final Papa John’s Trophy group game against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Tuesday night.

The Dons were level 1-1 with the League One promotion hopefuls after 90 minutes, going on to lose the game 3-1 on penalties. Ronan Curtis had put Pompey ahead in the 15th minute, before Ayoub Assal equalised for the visitors just after half time and that was how it remained, with the League Two side having chances of their own to win the game.

They were already through to the next round of the competition, having beaten Aston Villa U21s and Crawley Town in the previous group games, but the extra point gained meant they finished top of the group.

Jackson, who made nine changes from the weekend’s 3-2 win over Harrogate Town, was full of praise for his young group for the way they applied themselves against a team from the league above, whose side contained a number of regular first-team players.

“I thought the performance was tremendous for a young team against a really experienced side,” Jackson told the club’s official website. “We took the game to them, we had a really good shape about us and showed some great energy. From what I saw tonight I’m absolutely delighted. Some of the boys haven’t had many starts and in some cases that was their first start, I’m really pleased with them.

“We needed to be disciplined and press them in the right areas. I knew the pace we had on the counterattack along with the two boys up front would make us a handful on the break. It paid off in the end.”

The 40-year-old was particularly pleased with goalscorer Assal, who notched his fifth goal in all competitions this season, already reaching half of the total he managed last season. It continued Assal’s good run of form, meaning he has now scored three in his last four games.

“It was a great goal. We’ve been speaking to him a lot about taking more shots on in and around the penalty area. We want him to be direct and get at defenders when he gets those opportunities in one against one situations. It’s a good job he scored, as his mate, big Kyle Hudlin, was waiting in the middle for a tap-in!” Jackson said.

The verdict

Jackson is certainly right to be proud of his side after their display at Fratton Park on Tuesday night.

The fact that Jackson was able to change almost his entire team and still manage to put on a competitive display against a strong, experienced Portsmouth side suggests he has strength in depth and a squad who have the desire to fight for their places.

The Dons can take some of their confidence from topping their Papa John’s Trophy group back into the league and build on their improved run of form, which has seen them take seven points from the last three games.

Getting Assal back scoring regularly will be crucial to the Londoners’ hopes of climbing the table this season. He was one of the main positives in last season’s disappointing relegation and after a slow start to the season, he seems to be finding his feet again. If he can continue to get on the scoresheet and form a partnership with top scorer Josh Davison, who has scored six goals this season, it can give Jackson a platform upon which to improve on their current 15th-placed position in the fourth tier.

Given Jackson inherited a side which had not won in their final 27 games of last season, it is no surprise it has taken a while for them to find consistency this season. But with an improvement in recent league form and another creditable result on Tuesday night, perhaps the Dons are beginning to turn a corner.