Glyn taking the blame
GLYN HODGES says AFC Wimbledon should not blame Covid-19 for their loss to leaders Lincoln despite asking the EFL to postpone the game.
Several Dons players are believed to have tested positive in advance of the clash and the club made a formal application for a postponement.
But protests fell on deaf ears and Tom Hopper’s late winner condemned them to a third straight League One loss – although Hodges refused to blame the virus.
“I was still confident in the team that we picked, I was confident in the players,” Hodges said.
“When we realised how many have got Covid-19, and how many should have been isolating over and above that, that’s when we thought ‘should this game go ahead’ because they (Lincoln) had the same feeling, they had problems up there.
“That was my thinking, and why we tested to be proactive and see who had it and what we had to do to play the game. But the team was strong enough to win the game. We were scratching our heads how we didn’t score today, we went toe to toe with the top team in the division who are a good side and have some really good players.”
Lincoln, themselves without manager Michael Appleton due to a positive coronavirus test, made a fine start when Tayo Edun slotted home early on.
The Dons pulled level just after the half-hour mark when Shane McLoughlin’s back-post cross was met by a thumping header from Ollie Palmer.
But Lincoln secured the win as Jorge Grant picked up a loose ball in the box and his cutback found Hopper, who guided the ball home with his left foot to earn his side a third straight league win.
Assistant manager
David Kerslake, deputising for Appleton, was pleased with the response to his half-time team talk.
“We started well, we looked dangerous, we were manoeuvring the ball well, but then we stopped getting in behind them,” Kerslake said.
“I think that gave them a little bit of incentive, they started getting the ball early and getting onto second balls.
“But that was something we highlighted at half-time, we said we needed to be more aggressive, and I thought we did that, the second half I thought we were good for the result.
“From our point of view we followed all the right Covid protocols.
“We were ready for the game, the EFL said the game could go ahead, so there was no problem from our point of view.”