AFC Wimbledon: Johnnie Jackson action could unlock Omar Bugiel, Josh Kelly and others - View | OneFootball

AFC Wimbledon's strikers are all off the mark for this season, but Johnnie Jackson will need to tweak his tactics to help continue their scoring

All of AFC Wimbledon's strikers are off the mark this season, with the past week showing that when the Dons get it right in attack, they are deadly.

However, against Bromley, and also against Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Trophy, Wimbledon seemingly had plenty of chances in and around the box, or chances to progress the ball into the opposition area, yet the Dons were not ruthless and wasted their opportunities.

And while Omar Bugiel did double his tally for the season in the Trophy, the statistics do make for worrying reading for fans of the club, with ambitions for the club competing at the top end of the table not being matched with tactics and performances.

So, with an away match to Cheltenham Town on the horizon, Johnnie Jackson needs to take action to unlock his the potential in his quartet of strikers.

League Two one week in: How have Wimbledon's strikers fared

The new season is well over a week old now, and Wimbledon have so far won once in the League, and lost once, with two cup victories adding to what many see as a good start to the season. However, things could be better if Dons fans were not so worried about Jackson's tactics and how it is affecting their strikers.

In the comeback victory against Colchester United on the opening day, both Omar Bugiel and Matty Stevens scored, and only three days later, Joe Pigott and Josh Kelly notched a goal each to help Wimbledon, once again, come from behind to beat Bromley in the Carabao Cup.

It would be fair to say then that there is nothing really affecting the strikers, as each of them has found the net and started their respective seasons well, but the loss to Bromley rather dispels that assumption.

In last Saturday's loss to the Ravens, the team never really looked like scoring a well worked goal, with the closest the Dons came being when a brief moment of pinball in the box result in the ball somehow striking the bottom of Bromley's far post, which showed how a simple defensive setup from the opposition completely halts the Dons flow, and forces them to play in a way that renders their strikeforce useless.

For the first 65 minutes of the match, after some free-flowing moments in the opening stages, Bugiel and Stevens had to simply chase down long balls and knock ons in hopes of creating any meaningful attacks, and when Pigott and Kelly entered the match, you would have been forgiven for forgetting that Jackson even bought them on in the first place.

And it is this disappearance in matches that is so worrying for Dons fans, especially when the side are enjoying so many shots on goal, displaying an open and attacking mindset, but rarely making anything count.

With pre-season far in the past now though, and training limited to preparing the side for each individual match and not implenting a new formation and system, the trouble Jackson now has is, what can he do to help bring the forward line back to life against Cheltenham this weekend.

Johnnie Jackson should make Dons changes at Cheltenham Town

Despite sticking to his guns and continuing with the same playstyle against Wycombe in the EFL Trophy and coming away from the match with a 1-0 win, Cheltenham will prove a different type of challenge on Saturday.

The Robins sit only a place above the Dons, and have had a very similar start to the season, so will likely be experimenting to maybe gain an advantage and take themselves forward into the busy months ahead.

Which is exactly why Jackson needs to do the same to his Wimbledon squad, in order to make sure the Dons finish this month strongly, and with a clearer vision to what the coming months will look like.

Personnel-wise, there are a few changes that he could make, and with the frontline being the focus of this piece, there is one major switch that he should consider, which is Josh Kelly for Matty Stevens.

While Stevens does give Omar Bugiel backup in the sense that he can also challenge aerially, he just isn't as fast or as dangerous in behind, and the goal that Kelly scored against Bromley in the Carabao Cup proves that and exemplifies just how brilliant he truly is.

The other switch, moving away from the attack, is in the midfield, and it involves swapping out James Ball for Callum Maycock. While both are similar players in profile, Maycock just seems to have a connection with Kelly that many fans feel can help unlock so many defences with brilliant passes and telepathic movement.

Tactically, Jackson needs to listen to the frustrations of the crowd and those on social media, and keep the ball on the floor, as the Dons look so flowing and easy-on-the-eye when attacking in this way. Keeping the ball on the ground and not uselessly punting it downfield also allows possession to grow in the Dons' favour and forces the opposition to potentially break away from their tactics to try and win the ball, which is when Wimbledon can nip in behind and score on the counter-attack.

Despite these ruminations about what could and should be done at Cheltenham though, Jackson has already come out and said nothing drastic will be undertaken this early on, and that for the moment, he is remaining calm and without worry.

Speaking to South London Press following the defeat at Bromley, he said, "We can’t overreact. There has been a bit of a drop-off today, but not a huge drop-off.

"We were the dominant team with the ball. We had more possession and more shots, but we didn’t have enough to show for that.

“We knew we would probably see a lot of the ball and we know how good they are in those moments. We’re frustrated with the goals.

“It’s easily a game on another day that we get something from. I don’t think we have come here and been played off the park or been dominated."

It seems then, that the approach to Cheltenham Town is being taken in the stride of the Wimbledon boss, and that he knows that soon enough either his new tactics will come good and begin to make Wimbledon a force to be reckoned with, or he will be forced to change. However, he knows a small tweak here and there, and the demand for 100% week in, week out, will be the way forward for him, and the perfect way to extract some top performances from his players.