AFC Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson said he was “really pleased” with how pre-season went after the Dons ended their friendly schedule with a 3-2 defeat to Queens Park Rangers in a Plough Lane thriller at the weekend.
Aron Sasu scored two goals for the hosts after the Hoops had gone 2-0 up through Koki Saito and sixteen-year-old Leon Scarlett.
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.
“I would say it’s been a success, but pre-season is pre-season. We’re sort of all ready for the real stuff to start. It felt like quite a long pre-season this season compared to last, so I think we’re all ready.
“The lads are in a good place and they just want to get going now.”
Jackson hailed the mood in the squad.
He said: “It’s good, really good. 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.
“That’s a good thing, that’s what you need within your squad and they’re all presenting a case to play when they go out in these games, as difficult as they can be at times, because it isn’t quite that competitive edge that naturally comes with league games.
“They’re all making cases to try and get into the team. So it’s important that they take it seriously.”
Wimbledon host Newport County in the first round of the EFL Cup on Saturday (3pm).
