Wimbledon boss knows he must get signings right (From Your Local Guardian)

Wimbledon boss knows he must get signings right

9:58am Wednesday 4th January 2012 in AFC Wimbledon By Sam Elliott

Terry Brown accepts he will have to be bang on the money in his January transfer window dealings as AFC Wimbledon succumbed to a sixth straight league defeat at Swindon Town.

Typically, it was summer target Alan Connell that did the damage to leave the Dons manager's face as grim as the Swindon sky having also tasted defeat 48 hours earlier when they lost 4-1 at home to Southend United and had Christian Jolley sent off.

Monday's 2-0 loss at the sodden County Ground was hardly unexpected, but the fact remains that free-falling Wimbledon have not won a League Two match since early October's 3-1 victory over Gillingham - a run of 12 games - and could be in danger of sliding into a relegation battle unless confidence is returned and fast.

To that end, Wimbledon could sign upward of four players now the window is open and some Football League experience will be vital to them turning the corner.

Brown missed out on the striker he was hoping to sign last weekend but has also been linked with Crawley Town midfielder Scott Davies and Millwall's 19-year-old full-back Connor McLaren.

And with no game until they go to Port Vale on January 14, Brown is glad to have the time to add some new faces.

"I am looking at the fact we now have the best part of a fortnight without a game and I can't tell you how happy I am about that," he said.

“It will allow us to go into the transfer market and shake things up.

"We need to get some new players through the door as we can't continue as if nothing is wrong.

“We need to freshen things up and I'm delighted we can.

"I need to make sure we bring in the right players as it's a very important period for the club.”

Brown watched his side match Paolo Di Canio's in-form Robins pound for pound in the first half but resting top scorer Jack Midson - who had opened the scoring in the defeat to Southend - was a gamble that backfired as Wimbledon created nothing.

In the second-half, Town were well on top but they needed a handling error from Seb Brown to go in front.

Defender Brett Johnson's needless foul on Connell just outside the box led to Swindon captain Paul Caddis's low drive squirming out of the keeper's grasp, in off the post the home team had their 58th minute advantage.

The first goal proved vital with Town eager to exploit the space that chasing a goal soon brings.

They hit the woodwork no fewer than four times in the second half, twice through Connell, before the player Brown wanted to sign from Grimsby Town in the summer hit them with a sucker punch when he swept a fine shot in off the bar after Raffaele De Vita's run and cross wasn't cut out.

“Of course we're disappointed," added Brown.

"You can't not be with the bad run of form that we're on.

“We were in it up to half-time but the second-half was a different story and Swindon were the better team."