Dons boss could make changes (From Your Local Guardian)

Dons boss could make changes

1:24pm Thursday 8th December 2011 in AFC Wimbledon By Graham Moody

Terry Brown could make sweeping changes to his AFC Wimbledon side this weekend after blasting their performance in the FA Cup exit to Bradford City.

The Dons were dumped out of the cup at the second round stage for the second successive year, losing 3-1 at Valley Parade, to miss out on the chance of a lucrative third round clash.

Jack Midson’s goal was one bright spark from the game but poor defending again cost the Dons with Chris Bush scoring an own goal and captain Jamie Stuart conceding an obvious penalty for the third.

And Brown could now call on defenders Gareth Gwillim, Callum McNaughton and Mat Mitchel-King, fit for the first time since his signing in the summer, to plug the leaky defence when Accrington Stanley visit on Saturday.

“We will have to look at what personnel we have got, what personnel we are using at the moment and look at improving,” he said.

“We lacked a cutting edge up front, the final pass in the final third, and we lacked a bit in the defensive third.

“Jack needed a goal and it is great my forward has scored again but Christian Jolley is nowhere near match fit and Charlie Ademeno is still not 100 per cent, so there are a lot of things I need to ponder on.

“I was very disappointed with the way we played and the defending on Saturday, which was poor.

“They didn’t even have to open us up, they just delivered the ball into the box and we didn’t handle it.

“We are going to have to get better in that department no doubt about it.

“We are in League Two and if you can’t deal with a straight ball down the park you are going to be in a mass of trouble.”

The Dons have not won in the league since October 8 and with the visit of Accrington followed by games against promotion contenders Rotherham United, Southend United, Oxford United and Swindon Town, it could be a very difficult end to 2011 for Brown and his boys.

“I have explained to the players that if they thought Bradford were a physical outfit up front, then look forward to Accrington Stanley coming to us on Saturday,” added Brown.

“They are an established, experienced side with loads of nous and decent players and it is going to be hard.

“We are in for a little hard spell now.

“If you look at the games over Christmas they are very taxing and we are going to need to play a hell of a lot better than we did on Saturday to pick up points against those teams.”