AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Wigan Athletic: Johnnie Jackson admits Junior Nkeng’s future is uncertain

Johnnie Jackson revealed he does not know if Junior Nkeng will still be an AFC Wimbledon player when the summer transfer window closes after the teenager helped his side to victory against Wigan Athletic.

Nkeng, 19, changed the game after coming off the bench in the 67th minute, causing plenty of problems for Latics’ defence before Myles Hippolyte’s winner finally came in the 88th minute.

The forward has been linked with a move away from the Cherry Red Records Stadium this summer.

However, Jackson hopes he stays after helping the Dons record their first League One win of the season.

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Hope

“I hope so, for that reason that you just said there, he is different to what we have got,” he said.

“It has not happened up until now, Tuesday is going to come around quickly, so there isn’t long to go.

“For me, to be able to look around and see someone like that who can come on and impact a game is something that we have not necessarily got in our squad.

“Hopefully he is with us, but the performances that he has been putting in are obviously going to catch people’s attention.

“With 48 hours to go, I don’t know what is going to happen. So selfishly, I hope he is here.

“We needed to make changes to try and change the flow of the game.

“I can’t speak highly enough of the lads who have come on and done the job that I have asked them to do.

“It’s easy just throwing bodies on, but you need the boys to do what you have asked, and they have all done it.”

Match action

The Dons felt they should have had a penalty when Latics goalkeeper Joe Walsh headed a clearance directly into the path of Jayden Stockley.

The striker would have had a clear shot at an open goal but felt he had been pulled back by Walsh, hitting the deck before seeing his appeals waved away by referee Andrew Humphries.

Wigan also came close to scoring in bizarre circumstances shortly afterwards when Jensen Weir’s shot-turned-cross was tipped onto the crossbar by Joe McDonnell.

AFC Wimbledon controlled the opening 15 minutes of the second half, but the visitors looked dangerous on the break, with Connor Barrett forcing a good save from McDonnell after being picked out in the box by Archie Harris.

Sonny Perkins got on the end of a ball across the face of goal moments later, but he somehow fired over when faced with an empty net.

Stockley got on the end of a cross with five minutes remaining but he headed the ball over the bar.

The breakthrough finally came in the 88th minute when Hippolyte poked the ball past Walsh after being put through on goal by Donnell McNeilly.

Take our chances

Wigan had several shots on goal during an entertaining afternoon, but could not make the pressure count.

They have now got just one point to their name after three fixtures and are rooted to the bottom of the table.

However, Wigan manager Gary Caldwell believes his side could have won all three of their matches so far this season.

“I don’t know how we have lost it to be perfectly honest, but we have to get better in certain actions,” he added.

“It is clear, we created so many good moments and so many great chances but no goals again.

“So yeah, we have to be better in the final third, and in or around the box.

“We have to take our chances, not small chances, big chances, and not just from one player but different players.

“We spoke about controlling the chaos of long balls and set-pieces. I thought we could have been better at that at times. I still think, at times, we did that well.

“We have to keep working. When you have difficult moments like this in football you have to keep working.

“This is a new group, but as young players you can’t come out, play like that, and not win.

“That is three games where I think we should have won the game. We haven’t, so we have to look at that.

“I will and my staff will and we have to get better.”

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