Johnnie Jackson may be forced into a defensive decision for AFC Wimbledon’s upcoming fixture against MK Dons, with Ryan Johnson limping off before the 20-minute mark in the Dons’ last fixture against Fleetwood Town.
Currently, it is unconfirmed as to whether the newly appointed vice-captain is fit to play against MK. However, if he is unable to play, it forces a problem onto Jackson regarding who to select as his replacement in the starting XI.
The former Charlton manager could select either the young, and so far impressive, Isaac Ogundere as his replacement, who did come on as a substitute in place of Johnson against Fleetwood and played well.
Or he could choose to select the imperious figure of John-Joe O’Toole, who, in the home fixture against MK Dons last season, was part of a brilliantly resilient display, and some may argue, deserves a start.
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So far, there has not been much said about the squad since the Fleetwood match, with Wimbledon opting to take a small break ahead of yet another packed slate of fixtures.
However, with this season’s first iteration of a match that nearly all fans of the club wished did not exist coming up this weekend, there is likely to be an update on Johnson soon.
In the meantime, Jackson did speak to South London Press following the game against the team from the Fylde Coast and gave a little insight into why the defender was taken off so early on.
Speaking to SLP reporter Edmund Brack, he said “He felt his groin, we don’t know how bad it is yet.
“Hopefully, it’s not too bad. We have a couple of weeks to recover, so we will assess it in the next couple of days.
“It’s been a tough schedule. We have been quite lucky so far with injuries, but we’re disappointed to lose him today.”
Who could come in and replace Ryan Johnson
Realistically, while Jackson could switch to a back four in a 4-4-2, and play with only two centre-halves, most likely Joe Lewis and Riley Harbottle, it is unlikely he will do so, and will remain with his 5-3-2/3-5-2 setup for Saturday’s match.
And with the players available, it will be between Ogundere and O’Toole to fill in that remaining slot.
Ogundere has arguably got a stronger claim to the spot already, having come on for Johnson after his injury, but also putting together a strong campaign so far.
As of this week, the young defender has featured in all but one of Wimbledon’s matches, sitting on the bench for the Dons’ victory over Cheltenham Town late last month, and in the matches he has played so far, despite being heavily targeted by opposition forwards, particularly in the air, he has impressed and started to grow into a position that Jackson first tasked him with in pre-season.
saac Ogundere’s League Two 2024/25 Stats
Appearances
3
Average Minutes Per Game
84
Clean Sheets
1
Tackles Per Game
1.3
Balls Recovered Per Game
2.7
Dribbled Past Per Game
0.3
Clearances Per Game
2.7
Accurate Passes Per Game
1.7
Touches Per Game
22.7 (76%)
Total Duels Won Per Game
3.3 (36%)
Stats Correct As Of September 11, 2024 – As Per Sofascore
His crowning moment in 24/25 so far though has to be his winning penalty kick to knock out Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup. Having performed admirably throughout the 90 minutes, defending against Premier League opposition, the 21-year-old stepped up to take the fifth, and deciding penalty, and powered it into the net, sending Ipswich’s Christian Walton the opposite way.
However, while he has not played as much this season, only featuring in the EFL Trophy victory over Wycombe Wanderers, O’Toole does have a solid claim for the position and one that he should stake.
John-Joe O’Toole is the better option v MK Dons
The reason behind him having such a strong claim for the position is the fact that against the same opposition, in the dramatic victory last season, he performed spectacularly.
Having been bought in as a squad player in January, likely to be used in multiple positions due to his utility-man playing ability, he was thrust into the Dons team alongside Lee Brown and Kofi Balmer to form a makeshift back three as Jackson faced the long injury absences of both Johnson and Lewis, and having got accustomed to lining up with the other two, O’Toole proved a class above.
He stood his ground, rarely dived into tackles and, despite being 35 years old, was able to keep pace with the likes of Alex Gilbey, Jack Payne, and Max Dean very quiet, limiting them to only a few chances.
It was his experience too, that was needed when, after Ronan Curtis fired him the last-minute winner, he kept the team together and focused on seeing out the remainder of the match.
And it is for these two reasons that he should be in much higher consideration than Ogundere. That isn’t to say that the academy graduate does not deserve his place in the team, but if Wimbledon are looking for an older head that can not only keep his teammates calm and composed in the moment, but also become a chief mischief instigator, then they cannot go much more wrong than O’Toole.
Any inclusion may force Jackson to switch his team around, moving O’Toole into the middle centre-half position and Lewis into a wider centre-back role. However, his experience and resolve in what could be a fiery affari make him an ideal candidate for Jackson to select, and certainly a player all at Wimbledon know can produce an excellent performance in such a high-stakes match.
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