AFC Wimbledon 2-0 Mansfield Town

Wimbledon expertly broke their big-five duck as the new faces took next to no time to prove their worth.

Manager Terry Brown’s signing spree since the New Year’s Day defeat to Hayes paid instant dividends.

After hitting the January sales, the Kingsmeadow boss begun with all three new-boys Danny Blachett, Glenn Poole and Nathan Elder.

And it was Elder who stole the show – scoring one minutes into his debut and providing an assist for the second as the on-loan Shrewsbury powerhouse inspired his new team to victory in the absence of Danny Kedwell.

Elder scored at both ends of the pitch on his Brentford debut ironically against Mansfield in 2008.

Lewis Taylor snatched the second today 20 minutes after the opener as the Dons leapfrog David Holdsworth’s team into fourth place.

Brown said: “We had yet to beat a team in the top five so to get that win against a side up there is terrific.

“It’s our first one and it could be a massively important one. We’ve had such a long break and it was vital we got back to winning ways after we lost to Hayes on New Year’s Day.

“I looked upon this game as a signal of where exactly we are. We played our three new signings and they all did very, very well. None of them have played for a month and although they ran out of puff a little, you saw their quality.

“Nathan Elder took his goal very well and I think he’ll be a quality signing for the club. What better debut could you asked for? He was awesome.

“Had we lost today I would have been feeling sorry for myself wondering if we could actually catch them.

“But as it is we’re up into fourth and we’re looking like a team capable of staying there.”

Elder nodded home Will Hendry’s superb cross little more than two minutes in to get the ball rolling.

Mansfield had their chances – this was by no means a perfect Wimbledon performance – but casual finishing from Gary Silk, Lee Briscoe and Kyle Perry let the hosts off the hook.

There was to be no escape for the Stags as Brown’s team showed them how to finish.

With the visitors’ defence nowhere to be seen, Sam Hatton’s cross was nodded back across goal by Elder and Taylor was there lurking to make it 2-0.

Glenn Poole, an impressive debutant, was a whisker away from adding a third eight minutes before half-time.

Mansfield continued to press after half-time but when Perry missed from five yards out they knew it wasn’t going to be their day.

Michael Brough prevented Elder from making it 3-0. Wimbledon substitute Ricky Wellard came close with two stunning long-rangers but couldn’t get the better of Alan Marriott.

A controversial linesman’s flag denied Jake Speight three minutes from time – and Town manager Holdsworth wasn’t happy with the assistant referee.

He said: “It was very debateable whether it was offside or not. There are two decisions there today, that and the clear handball by Danny Blachett, that could have changed the game.

“I’m not here to make excuses and I’m bitterly disappointed with our defending. We’ve had a long journey down and we’ve not played for three weeks but Wimbledon came out of the traps faster than we did. We were too slow to start.”