Pre-Season Success for AFC Wimbledon? ## What Happened? ## Why it Matters for AFC Wimbledon ## What Comes Next? ## Wimbledon Ready for League Action After Pre-Season Thriller Against Queens Park Rangers
AFC Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson hailed the team's pre-season success after a 3-2 defeat to Queens Park Rangers at Plough Lane. The Dons ended their friendly schedule with a thrilling match, with Aron Sasu scoring two goals for the hosts. However, the Hoops took an early lead through Koki Saito and sixteen-year-old Leon Scarlett, before Jaylan Pearman scored an 82nd-minute winner for Julien Stephan's Championship side. 'I'm really pleased with how it's gone, we've looked good,' Jackson said on the club's website. 'There's been loads of good stuff in the games, they always present stuff that we can get better at, but I'm really happy with where the squad's at as a group, with the fitness levels and some of the stuff that we're doing on the pitch.'
The team's fitness levels have been a major focus during pre-season, with Jackson praising the squad's morale and work ethic. 'It's good, really good,' he said. 'Everyone wants to play. Everyone wants to be in that starting line-up. Come the first game, Newport or the first league game at Huddersfield, they all want to play, which is good.'
Wimbledon host Newport County in the first round of the EFL Cup on Saturday (3pm), and Jackson is confident that the team is ready for the challenge. 'The lads are in a good place and they just want to get going now,' he said. 'We're sort of all ready for the real stuff to start.'
League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 20th in League One, 50 pts, 14W-8D-22L from 44 games, recent form LLLLL. Goals this season: 50 scored, 68 conceded (-18 goal difference). Next fixture: vs Doncaster (away, 2027-02-20).
