AFC Wimbledon gritty, unspectacular, and up to second after nervy win over Gillingham
AFC Wimbledon (0) 1 Stevens 50
Gillingham (0) 0
It was only one goal - and an iffy one at that with claims of handball - but for now it will do very nicely indeed for the Dons.
Matty Stevens' goal early in the second half proved just enough in a match that saw few chances at either end and a pretty subdued performance in attack from the hosts. But they defended well and got the job done.
The prize for hanging on to that one goal is pretty remarkable. At a stroke the Wombles climb from eighth to second in the table behind only Walsall. What a position to be in going into the turn of the year.
The form may have been a little up and down of late and dropped points at home to lowly Swindon Town on Boxing Day did not scream imminent success. But the stats don't lie. The second half of the season looks like being fun.
The Gills were far from pushovers. Backed by a decent away following and boosted these days by the returning prodigal son Bradley Dack, they started on the front foot and looked like they meant business.
Starting only four points behind the Dons, there was no reason for them not to be ambitious. Skipper Jake Reeves kept a watchful eye on the main dangerman on his return for the Priestfield outfit.
The Dons' best moments in a scrappy first half came through Josh Neufville's marauding runs down the right. Romaine Sawyers - making his first start for the club after being released by Cardiff in the summer - almost converted one of the wing-back's crosses, with keeper Glenn Morris then clawing away a Stevens header from the rebound.
Johnnie Jackson needed more from his men and was soon rewarded after the turnaround when Stevens bundled in James Tilley's inswinging corner from the right. The Gills claimed an arm was used to get it over the line but ref Sam Purkiss was unmoved. It was the striker's 16 goal of the campaign - 12 of them having now come in the league.
Having won nine out of the 10 games where they had previously taken the lead this season, it felt like a significant breakthrough for the Dons and so it proved - even if what followed was far from pretty.
The Gills might have drawn level when a mistake by an otherwise excellent Ryan Johnson gave Elliott Nevitt an opening that was skied miles over the bar and Armani Little's stinging free-kick forced a save from Owen Goodman that home fans were relieved to see cleared away. They had given ex player Little a hard time and would not have enjoyed seeing him exact revenge.
Next up for the Wombles, as they bid to consolidate their newfound position, are trips to Newport County on Thursday and Fleetwood on Sunday. John-Joe O'Toole might be a doubt. He picked up a knock and had to go off at half-time.
Dons: (3-5-2) Goodman - Harbottle (Hutchinson 80), O'Toole (Ogundere h/t), Johnson - Neufville, Smith, Reeves, Sawyers (Sasu 73), Tilley - Kelly (Furlong 89), Stevens
Gills: (4-2-3-1) Morris - Gale (Rowe 64), Ehmer, Masterson (Ogie 64), Clark - Coleman, McKenzie - Clarke (Nolan 90), Little, Dack (Dieng 80) - Nevitt (Gbode 80)
Attendance: 8,281
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