Defeat leaves sad Swindon rock-bottom
AFC WIMBLEDON .......... 4 SWINDON TOWN ............ 1
SWINDON Town’s comprehensive defeat at AFC Wimbledon proved to be John Sheridan’s last stand as Robins boss as his departure from the club was confirmed less than 24 hours after Saturday’s match, writes Neil Goulding.
Joe Pigott scored twice as the Dons made it three victories in a row by trouncing their fellow strugglers. They are now five points clear of the relegation zone, but it is hard to see any way back for the Robins, who fall seven points adrift of safety with four games to play.
Speaking immediately after the defeat, Sheridan revealed: “I’m going to resign. It’s not something that I want to do, but I felt like it three weeks ago.
“I really do care about Swindon even though I’ve only been here a short time. It’s a good club and good people here. I was coming here expecting to do really well, but it hasn’t worked that way.
“I’m the manager and I know what goes with the job if you’re not winning games. It’s football and when you’re successful and winning games there’s no better job, but when you’re losing it’s very difficult and you have to answer questions all the time.
“It’s not good for my health watching us get beat week in, week out, and it’s not right for the supporters. I’m going to give it a rest, I’m sure one or two people will be pleased. Well, I’m sure a lot of people will be pleased.
“Unfortunately we’ve made life very difficult for ourselves.
“I felt five or six games ago, when we did beat Fleetwood, I thought there was a little chance and we’d turned a bit of a corner.
“I thought we’d get five or six points clear of the bottom four, but we didn’t and it’s a shame.”
Swindon’s Brett Pitman headed an early effort against the hosts’ crossbar, but Jonathan Grounds soon gave away a penalty when he tripped Jack Rudoni.
Pigott made no mistake from 12 yards before Will Nightingale doubled the advantage. The defender thumped in a powerful header from Rudoni’s set-piece and the Dons were on their way.
Ayoub Assal got the third either side of hitting the bar in both halves. And he turned provider as Pigott got his deserved second eight minutes after the restart.
It was a precise finish before Tyler Smith’s consolation for the visitors 11 minutes from time.
Wimbledon: Tzanev, O’Neill, Heneghan, Nightingale (Kalambayi 77), Guinness-Walker (Osew 65), Dobson (Oksanen 65), Woodyard, Rudoni (McLoughlin 66), Assal, Palmer, Pigott (Longman 65). Not Used: Alexander, Cox.
Booked: McLoughlin.
Goals: Pigott 20 pen, 54, Nightingale 26, Assal 44. Swindon: Camp, Caddis (Garrick 37), Broadbent (J Grant 46), A Grant, Grounds, Lyden (Thompson 46), Palmer (Omotoye 56), Payne, Twine, Pitman (Hope 56), Smith. Not Used: Curran, Matthews.
Booked: Grounds, Lyden, Pitman.
Goals: Smith 79.
Referee: John Busby (Oxfordshire).