AFC Wimbledon 3 -1 Mansfield
Neal Ardley admitted he got his first-half tactics wrong following AFC Wimbledon’s stunning comeback win over Mansfield on Saturday.
Deprived of Jake Reeves and George Francomb by injury, the Dons’ boss opted to start 4-3-3 in search for a first ever League win over the Stags.
The plan backfired as Matt Green shot the visitors into an early lead and but for a smart save from James Shea and two outstanding challenges from skipper Barry Fuller Dons would have been sunk by the break.
Ardley had seen enough, sacrificing Adebayo Akinfenwa for left back Callum Kennedy.
The transformation was astonishing as leading scorer Lyle Taylor’s leveller was followed by goals for Jon Meades and Adebayo Azeez, sending Dons above Mansfield into eighth place.
“I got it wrong," said a candid Ardley.
“I went brave and played three forwards because we need wins, but it didn’t work.
“It was too attacking a formation with too many forward thinking players on the pitch and before you knew it a normally solid defence is looking a bit shaky and there were too many gaps in the middle of the park.
“So at half time I had to make the call and from minute one after that all the boys were phenomenal.”
The tactical switch aside the catalyst for the turnaround was Taylor’s controversially disallowed goal within two minutes of the restart, the score eventually chalked off as Mansfield were preparing to restart the game with Sean Rigg adjudged to have got a touch on the through-ball to Taylor, making the striker offside.
Undeterred, Taylor raced clear again barely a minute later to score one which did stand.
With Dons now in total charge Rigg fired narrowly over while Andy Barcham forced Brian Jenson to tip over midway through the half.
A succession of corners followed and from the third Meades rose highest to glance his header inside the far post.
There was one scare for Dons when Chris Clements’ effort rattled a post, but substitute Azeez, who had earlier missed a sitter within minutes of coming on, latched onto Elliott’s flick to finish stylishly with three minutes left and seal the points.
Ardley admitted the disallowed goal helped galvanise his side who he feels have had more than their fair share of such adversity in the last few games with Paul Robinson’s sending off against Bristol Rovers, later rescinded, and Barcham’s effort at Cambridge also ruled out.
“We had an injustice against Bristol Rovers an injustice at Cambridge and now this here and the boys have come through them all brilliantly,” he added.
”The fourth official came back and said all officials agree your 11 (Rigg) got the last touch to the ball, but I said ‘The linesman didn’t flag and the referee gave the goal and then because of the complaints of the opposition they somehow take the goal back, so I don’t get it.”
