ALISTAIR Smith said AFC Wimbledon’s shock 2-1 defeat to National League Dagenham & Redbridge in the second round of the FA Cup at Plough Lane was “not acceptable”.
Notts County loanee Junior Morias and substitute Josh Rees scored either side of Matty Stevens’ twelfth goal of the season in all competitions in the eighth minute of first-half stoppage-time.
Dagenham reached the third round for the first time since 2015.
“It’s not acceptable to have results like that, being the team in a higher league” Smith said. “We’re down and it’s going to hurt and it needs to. We have to brush ourselves off and be ready for Tuesday against Newport [in League Two].
“FA Cup upsets happen, but to be the team it happens to is gutting. We should have taken the chances we had and put the game away, but they did and it’s frustrating.
“There were parts of the game we controlled, we created chances, we got Josh Neufville and the wing-backs in down the sides and created clear-cut opportunities and we have to score, simple as that – but we got punished.”
Smith was back in the side after serving a one-game suspension for picking up five bookings.
Smith said: “I never want to be suspended and miss a game, but I used it to rest in midweek and to now go again on Tuesday, really get that form back and look to stay in the play-offs.
“When the dust settles on this defeat and we go back in on Monday, all the focus will be on Newport and getting the win to maintain our league form, because we want to get in the play-offs and get promoted.
“We’ve been inconsistent recently, a bit up and down, and it’s something the fans are frustrated with – but so are we. We’re just as frustrated, if not more. We’re going to try and focus on the league now and really get a run of form going.”
