AFC Wimbledon’s defensive record has helped them put together a season which has seen them battle their way into the League Two play-off final at Wembley.
Key difference makers such as Matty Stevens and James Tilley will get the plaudits for their consistent offensive output, but what has really set the Dons apart has been their performances in protecting their own goal.
Manager Johnnie Jackson has deployed a back three which has proved itself among the best in the division, with standouts like Joe Lewis being touted by some as one of the competition’s leading centre-backs.
AFC Wimbledon conceded just 35 goals in League Two this season, 10 fewer than the next best defence in the league, Bradford City.
The Dons have since added two consecutive clean sheets in the play-offs to bring their tally to just 35 goals conceded in 48 League Two games.
Jackson’s back three has tended to comprise of Lewis, Ryan Johnson and either Riley Harbottle or Isaac Ogundere, who have rotated this season due to both injury and tactical tweaks.
They play behind a midfield five, with Tilley and Josh Neufville operating as aggressive wing backs, and midfielders Alistair Smith and Jake Reeves sitting relatively deep in central areas to protect the back line.
This setup gives a team only three dedicated defenders compared to four or even five other teams might deploy, but in doing so, it allows them to commit more men forward to pin the opponent in their own half.
The back three can provide a solid base to build out from, but it requires having the right defensive personnel to handle the extra demands of being a man short.
Defenders have to be fast, physical and with enough endurance to cover extra ground and rush out to stop runners in wide areas, where full-backs would normally be to provide defensive support in other systems.
Wimbledon’s defensive recruitment means their back line possesses the first two qualities in spades, with Lewis and Johnson especially having standout speed and physicality, contributing to the Dons’ league-high tally of 23 clean sheets, including the play-offs, this season.
The only issue among the club’s defensive options this season has been availability, with injuries sidelining almost all of the backline for periods within the season.
This has forced the backline to rotate personnel regularly, with young prospect Ogundere and January signing Sam Hutchinson picking up the slack when needed.
This rotation did not break the Dons’ defensive rigidity, with starting centre-half Harbottle commenting on his sides’ resilience in the face of injury during an interview with The South London Press.
He said: “Ryan Johnson, Joe Lewis and Isaac Ogundere, I class them as three of my best mates in the team.
“That is one of the main reasons we have been so successful, the togetherness.
“Whoever is playing, everyone will support, and whoever is not playing is pushing and keeping the levels high.”
Harbottle has suffered injury issues this season too, having been sidelined for 15 matches after going off injured against Newport County at the beginning of January.
He was reintegrated quickly into the squad after his recovery, featuring in a run of six games before scoring the only goal in the first leg of Wimbledon’s play-off semi-final encounter with Notts County.
Jackson’s bravery in bringing his players back into the fold when they feel they are ready has been crucial to minimising the long-term impact of their defensive issues, and has now brought them to the edge of promotion.
Jackson reflected on his side’s defensive rigidity in the wake of their second-leg victory over Notts, with his team having kept a third-consecutive clean sheet as they stare down the barrel of Monday’s play-off decider.
He said: “The last few weeks have obviously gone really well, it has bred a lot of confidence in the group.
“We have gone and won three games on the bounce now and we have not conceded.
“We know how strong we are defensively, so we have to embrace that and sort of make it a badge of honour.”
A top defensive record requires more than just solid defenders however, with Jackson ensuring that the entire team contributes to protecting his goal.
Starting goalkeeper Owen Goodman has shone this season after joining on a year-long loan from fellow south London club Crystal Palace.
Goodman boasts the most clean sheets (23) and highest clean sheet percentage (45.7%) of any goalkeeper in the league this season, while also having the sixth-best save percentage (73.6%) according to stats site FBref.
His heroics in the first-leg of the Notts County tie may have saved the Dons’ chances of promotion, as he acrobatically parried several strikes away from goal to keep the score level before Harbottle’s eventual opener.
At the other end of the pitch, Jackson has instilled a philosophy of hard-work and pressing among his attackers, designed to be proactive in defense.
AFC Wimbledon forward and top-scorer Matty Stevens underlined the success of this idea in building up the side’s defensive record.
He said: “Not to take any glory away from the defenders, because in my opinion, in Joe Lewis, we have probably got the best center-half in the league, and then you have got Johnson and Harbottle or Ogundere – whoever plays there, they are all great.
“But we defend really well from the front, and then that filters down through the team, and it shows in the goals against.
“The goals against do not lie.”
With a team that is dedicated and well-drilled in their defensive approach, from front to back, Wimbledon have crafted a defensive unit which unsettles the most prolific League Two attacks.
After keeping three consecutive clean sheets in must-win games since securing their play-off place with a final day win over Grimsby Town, the biggest test of all comes under the arch at Wembley, with a clean sheet there putting them in prime position to fire themselves into League One.
Feature image: Georgia Garnett
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