JACK Midson's sublime second-half chip saw in-form AFC Wimbledon pull further away from the League Two relegation zone at Aldershot Town.
Midson showed great skill and compsure to dink home a priceless winner for the Dons who have now chalked up three wins on the spin.
Neal Ardley made three changes to the team that upset the odds in Southend on Tuesday as Midson, Rashid Yussuff and Chris Hussey all came back into the starting line-up.
Aldershot really should have taken the lead on 12 minutes as Lionel Ainsworth drove down the right and forced a good save from John Sullivan, however Craig Reid somehow failed to stick home the rebound.
Reid's miss was a rare sight of goal for Andy Scott's men in a half that Wimbledon dominated in terms of possession, overloading the box for every corner and free-kick won in the final third, but failing to test Jamie Young in the first 30 minutes.
Piling men forward left the Dons susceptible to the counter-attack and the Shots were bursting forward when given the chance, Ainsworth cutting in from the left and unleashing a vicious strike that was deflected over the bar for a corner.
Wimbledon's best chance came seconds before the half-time whistle as Midson showed good control on the far touchline and flashed a ball across the face of the six-yard box but on-loan Crawley Town striker could not direct his overhead-kick goalwards.
There was no lack of spirit shown from the Dons players in front of more than 1,000 travelling supporters, however manager Ardley made a change at the interval as Kevin Sainte-Luce came on in place of Brennan Dickenson.
Town made a change of their own as former Wimbledon man Paul McCallum was withdrawn and the home side started to build pressure.
First, Ainworth was denied by a fine Sullivan save as the Dons keeper tipped the ball onto the post and then Sonny Bradley narrowly missed the target with a header from the resulting corner. Jeff Goulding and Asa Hall both had Sullivan scrambling again moments later.
But it was Wimbledon who got the breakthrough on 70 minutes as Midson got himself on the scoresheet within seconds of Ardley telling the striker to play up front in a two alongside substitute Jesse Darko.
Harry Pell, a towering presence in midfield once more, saw his low shot saved by Young but the Shots failed to clear their lines and Sainte-Luce fed Midson and the former Oxford frontman produced a sublime chip into the top corner.
It was Midson's 12th of the season and he will be hard-pushed to score a more important one in his Dons career as Ardley's boys held out for a vital three points against the struggling Shots who plunged further into trouble.
AFC Wimbledon: Sullivan, Meades, Hussey, S Moore, Bennett, Mitchel-King, Yussuff (L Moore), Pell, Alexander (Darko), Midson, Dickenson (Sainte-Luce).
Subs (not used): Jaimez-Ruiz, Sainte-Luce, Cummings, Long, Youga.
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