AFC Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson says his side are focusing only on themselves after claiming a “deserved” win over high-flying Barrow to remain firmly in the mix for the play-off places in League Two.
The Dons sent second-placed Mansfield home pointless two weeks ago and were also too strong for the Bluebirds, who arrived at Plough Lane third in the table, as first-half goals from Ronan Curtis and Omar Bugiel earned a 2-0 victory.
Only a late winner for Harrogate prevented Wimbledon from rising into the top seven while Barrow, who had Jamie Proctor sent off late on, dropped to fourth, one point behind Crewe.
Jackson said: “I think it was a deserved win, I thought we played really well.
“We have to concentrate on ourselves, obviously, but we just want to stay in and amongst it, which is what we’re doing.
“We’ve managed to find a bit of consistency with our form and our results, and I think if we concentrate on the performance levels then points will follow.
“Obviously, we’re still picking them up against good teams – we beat Mansfield here last time out and they’d only lost twice. Barrow, I think, had only lost five games all season.
“These are good results against good teams and we just want to find that consistency because before you know it we’re on the bus to Accrington on Monday and that ain’t one of the easier places to go.”
Wimbledon were ahead after 16 minutes when Paul Farman’s clearance ahead of Josh Kelly ran for Curtis, who controlled before thumping the ball past the stranded goalkeeper from 25 yards.
The lead was doubled 10 minutes later when Bugiel headed in Armani Little’s cross, with Dons goalkeeper Alex Bass making a good save to deny David Worrall early in the second half.
Farman prevented Kelly from opening his Wimbledon account after breaking through one-on-one before Proctor saw red for allegedly kicking out at Kofi Balmer.
Barrow boss Pete Wild said of the dismissal: “The fourth official is saying that as he hit the floor he kicked out.
“We’ve obviously just seen that, he clearly hasn’t kicked out, but we just need to be clear from the officials what they are saying that is for before we start analysing what we’ll do.
“I’m frustrated with how we started, you can’t start football matches like that and expect to win them, especially away from home.
“We talked about Wimbledon’s tenacity, how they’ve been playing lately and how they’ve been going about their business, and we didn’t stand up to that challenge.
“It’s easy to play when you’re 2-0 down and from 30 minutes onwards we’ve dominated the game, but for having all that domination, how many times have we made their keeper work?”
Juventus and Pogba agree to terminate contract
Juventus and Paul Pogba have agreed to the mutual termination of the midfielder's contract after he was banned over a failed drugs test.
The 31-year-old will complete his suspension in March after testing positive for DHEA in September 2023, a banned substance that boosts testosterone levels.
He was initially banned for four years, only for his punishment to be reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in October.
Despite that reduction, Juventus director Cristiano Giuntoli recently cast doubt on Pogba's chances of representing the Bianconeri again, and he has now been released by the club.
Pogba had a contract with Juventus to run until June 2026, but he will now train in Miami in the hope of finding a new club before his suspension ends.
"The club wishes Paul all the best for his professional future," Juventus said in a statement.
Pogba added in a statement of his own: "It has been a privilege to pull on the shirt of the Bianconeri and to share so many special moments together.
"I cherish the memories we made. They live on.
"Even in the most difficult moments over the past year, your support was crucial and I want to thank Juve fans around the world for their compassion.
"I am looking forward to the next chapter of my career and to stepping out on the pitch with my next club."
Injuries limited Pogba to just 162 minutes in five appearances across the 2022-23 season, his first campaign back in Turin after leaving Manchester United.
He then played a total of 51 minutes as a substitute before being suspended last season, reportedly agreeing to take a substantial pay cut while ineligible to represent the club.
New Man Utd boss Amorim says he must win to be afforded time
New Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has said he will need to win matches in order to earn time and create his own identity at the club.
The Portuguese tactician, who left Sporting CP to become Erik ten Hag’s successor at Old Trafford, was speaking during his first interview with the Premier League club.
"We know that we need time, but we have to win time. To win time is to win games. But the most important thing for me is identity. So since day one we will start with our identity," the 39-year-old said.
"Of course we are going to prepare the games, but we will focus a lot in our game model. How to play, how to press, these small things, small details.
"You cannot go 100% on every detail because it will be confusing for the players. So if I have to say one thing, my main goal, my first goal, is identity."
Amorim is the seventh different manager to take charge of the club since Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013 and will face a trip to Ipswich Town in the league on 24 November on his United debut.
But the former Portugal international added that having a young squad will not be an excuse if he fails to get the desired results in the short term.
"I don't want to say that we need time because we are a young team. They are prepared. They are prepared to cope with the demands of playing for United. They should be because they are here," Amorim said.
"We know it will take time, but we have to start since day one without fear, without thinking that they are not used to playing like this. They will start on the first day with our idea, no matter what. That's the goal."
New Manchester United boss Amorim says he needs to win to be afforded time
New Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has said that he will need to win matches in order to win time and create his own identity at the club.
The Portuguese tactician, who left Sporting CP to become Erik ten Hag’s successor at Old Trafford, was speaking during his first interview with the Premier League club.
"We know that we need time, but we have to win time. To win time is to win games. But the most important thing for me is identity. So since day one we will start with our identity," the 39-year-old said.
"Of course we are going to prepare the games, but we will focus a lot in our game model. How to play, how to press, these small things, small details."
"You cannot go 100% on every detail because it will be confusing for the players. So if I have to say one thing, my main goal, my first goal, is identity," he said.
Amorim is the seventh different manager to take charge of the club since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013 and will face a trip to Ipswich Town in the league on 24 November on his United managerial debut.
But the former Portugal international also added that having a young squad will not be an excuse for not getting the desired results in the short term.
"I don't want to say that we need time because we are a young team. They are prepared. They are prepared to cope with the demands of playing for United. They should be because they are here," Amorim said.
"We know it will take time, but we have to start since day one without fear, without thinking that they are not used to playing like this. They will start on the first day with our idea, no matter what. That's the goal."
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