ALEX Pearce hailed AFC Wimbledon’s resolve and spirit after they finished yesterday’s game with Doncaster with nine men and a crucial 2-0 win.
The Dons have struggled on their own patch this season but completed a perfect week of three straight home victories thanks to Ali Al-Hamadi’s brace.
He opened the scoring with a close range finish right at the end of the first-half and doubled his and Wimbledon’s tally on 63 minutes to lift Johnnie Jackson’s side within two points of the play-offs.
But they didn’t make life easy for themselves, as Hus Biler exited on 72 minutes and then Omar Bugiel followed in stoppage time after each picked up two yellow cards.
It may not have been the ideal way to finish the game, but for experienced defender Pearce there were some positives with the way Wimbledon responded to the situation.
He told afcwimbledon.co.uk: “We had to dig in there. I think that was a real test for the group, for those last 20 minutes when we went down to 10 men.
“I think we could all sense on the pitch that it was a pivotal moment.
“We all knew we had to dig in as a group and we did.
“I thought our shape was outstanding.
“We forced them one way, forced them wide and when the crosses came in, we dealt with them.”
Pearce added: “It was really pleasing to come away with a clean sheet, especially under such tough circumstances of going down to 10 men.”
“It was more about the reaction of the lads and I was really pleased with how we all dug in and stuck together.”
Wimbledon’s vice captain also believes the reaction to the double dismissal also underlines the positive spirit within Jackson’s squad.
Pearce explained: “That’s what good teams do – get each other out of trouble and when something bad happens you all come together. That’s what it’s all about.
“We could have played better, but for me that’s a sign of a really good team.
“It’s because we’re getting the basics right, we’re good defensively and we know we’ve got players who can hurt teams on the break.”
Al-Hamadi’s double took his tally to seven in all competitions this season, with Pearce just glad the Iraqi international isn’t someone he has to deal with in a competitive game.
He added: “I know from training each day how hard Ali is to play against.
“I pity any defender that comes up against him in this league.
“He’s got the beating of anyone and he can certainly go on and have a really good career – if he keeps going in the same direction.”
