ALAN SWANN’s talking points from Wimbledon 2, Posh 1: ‘Will there be another January gamble, why Dembele dribbles so much, a game there for the taking, why the midfield diamond can’t work’

Let’s face it if ever there was a season not to bother with an FA Cup run it was this one. Getting the dream draw away to Manchester United and getting hammered in an empty Old Trafford held little appeal, financially or emotionally.

But this is most definitely the season to get back to the Championship. Lord only knows what the financial state of lower league clubs will be once the coronavirus is finally beaten off. The fact Posh are charging almost £20 for a Papa John’s Trophy tie next week suggests they’re keen to raise a few bob so unlocking the comparative riches of the second tier should be the ONLY target this season.

And what a golden opportunity Posh passed up at Plough Lane to make ground on their main promotion rivals, most of whom slipped up over the last two nights. Portsmouth, who Posh meet in a big game at Fratton Park on Saturday (December 5), Charlton and Fleetwood all lost to bottom half teams, while Sunderland and Ipswich drew with teams they probably expected to beat.

As it was top two Hull and Lincoln enjoyed a perfect set of results. The Tigers are playing very consistently for Grant McCann.

Other talking points from Plough Lane...

1) The cliche of ‘every game being a tough one’ could actually be a reality this season. Whether the constant Saturday/Tuesday/Saturday games are causing so many unusual results is anyone’s guess. More likely there has been a levelling of standards across the board with many of the less fancied clubs signing players on loan who are better than the permanent signings made by the promotion favourites. Ryan Longman scored for the Dons last night and was a lively presence throughout. He’s on loan from Brighton.

2) This game really was there for the taking for Posh. Wimbledon had a two-week Covid-enforced break at the start of November and are now playing catch-up. This was their fifth game in 13 days and their fourth in eight days so tiredness was always going to be an issue for such a small squad. Wimbledon lost at home to League Two side Crawley in the FA Cup pn Sunday so they weren’t in the best of form.

And the Dons looked sluggish for the entire first-half. Posh were brighter in thought in deed and really should have been 2-0 up at the break as Ryan Broom and Sammie Szmodics missed golden opportunities. If even one of those chances had been converted the home side might have lacked the mental as well as physical ability to get back into the game. Instead Wimbledon started the second-half as though energised by still being on level terms. The boost they received from opening the scoring gave them the impetus to score a second soon after. Even a fine Jonson Clarke-Harris goal didn’t exactly prompt a Posh siege on the home goal in the final 20 minutes. Scoring first was decisive and Posh suffered as they failed to strike while on top.

3) Siriki Dembele created both of the gilt-edged first-half chances. Maybe he dribbles so much because his defence-splitting runs and passes are ruined by profligate teammates? He could easily have more assists than Joe Ward this season with better finishing from others. I can only remember one save from home goalkeeper Connell Truman in a game when Posh enjoyed 68% possession according to the official match stats.

4) Results always define the reaction. If Posh were 2-0 up at the break last night, as they deserved to be, and gone on to win we’d have been hailing a fine performance. Instead we’re picking on the negatives - a natural reaction after four defeats in five matches.

5) Posh co-owner Darragh MacAnthony is in the UK next week and his conversations with manager Darren Ferguson will be fascinating. Mo Eisa’s absence from the matchday squad last night when no out and out striker was on the bench suggests Posh have given up on their record signing. If so, and given the inexperience of Ricky-Jade Jones, I wonder if a January transfer window gamble on someone who can stand-in for Clarke-Harris, or even replace Szmodics if his form doesn’t improve, will be taken? Posh are receiving the Ivan Toney fee in instalmemts so they are not flush with available cash. They found two gems in the loan market last January in Szmodics and Reece Brown. Could they do it again? They might need to, just to have a fighting chance of the play-offs.

6) I wrote Posh off after losing at AFC Wimbledon last season. It proved to be a mistake, but current form has the alarm bells ringing again among the superstitious and pessimistic with the traditionally bad Christmas still to come. Having said that Posh remain third and surely they are too good to keep losing? Pompey go above Posh on goal difference if they beat us and dropping too far down the table so soon after hitting the top could be damaging psychologically. It’s a big game at Fratton Park.

7) One clean sheet in seven matches for Posh even though they’ve been playing with three centre-backs for most of that time. Don’t just blame the defenders though. On Saturday I watched a Chorley player slalom his way through half a dozen Posh players before hitting the post and last night Jack Rudoni arrived on the edge of the area unopposed and allowed to hit a shot that led to the crucial opening goal.

8) Ryan Broom played well last night apart from hitting the bar in the 11th minute when he should have scored. He sent over many crosses from the right that went unappreciated by teammates. Clarke-Harris scored at Hull by getting in front of his marker to meet a right-wing cross, but last night he was never anywhere near some crosses, one in particular from Frazer Blake-Tracy in the second-half, that were begging for someone to attack them. Interestingly Ferguson switched to a midfield diamond for the final quarter of the game which did get Jack Taylor further forward and he’s someone you could see getting in the box to win headers. With the current personnel a diamond could probably only work with Taylor and Ethan Hamilton on either side, Szmodics at the tip and Brown or Louis Reed at the base. Taylor at the tip would be interesting as he can certainly shoot and score, but it’s tough to see who would supply him with the ammunition.

9) Last night was a first win for Wimbledon since returning to Plough Lane. The stadium is a step-up from Kingsmeadow, but it’s in the middle of one giant building site and access is difficult so it will be interesting to see if they can get any fans in. The lack of a safety certificate stopped supporters returning last night.