AFC Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson believes the toughness of his side has driven them to the League Two play-off final after they defeated Notts County 1-0 at Plough Lane.
An early strike by Josh Neufville gave the Dons a 2-0 aggregate victory that was as deserved as it was hard-earned.
The South London outfit have not let in a goal in the last three games, and further demonstrated why their defensive record remains the best in the division.
Jackson has not featured at Wembley as a player but will do so as a manager against Walsall on Monday May 26, and he feels his defence is pivotal.
“We’ve made ourselves a tough nut to crack,” Jackson said.
“They had to make two enforced changes but they didn’t do too much different. we knew they would come and put it on us.
“We knew if we kept a clean sheet we’d be through, though we probably should have won by more in the end.
“To get the goal when we did really helped because they started well. I knew we’d have to suffer at times.
“I never played at Wembley – one thing I really regretted when I retired. To get the opportunity to lead this team out is really special for me.
“We have to enjoy these moments, but we haven’t done anything yet.”
AFC Wimbledon effectively booked their trip to Wembley after just eight minutes when Neufville saw goalkeeper Alex Bass off his line and lobbed him for the decisive goal.
The hosts had the perfect chance to wrap proceedings up 10 minutes after the restart. Matty Stevens fed Marcus Browne, but his effort was heroically blocked by Lewis Macari.
Stevens looked set to put the tie beyond any doubt in the 69th minute when he found space in the area from a deep James Tilley cross. However, Bass denied him with an excellent one-handed save to turn his effort around a post.
Notts County manager Stuart Maynard was left to rue his side’s early setback – and the absence of key attacking duo David McGoldrick and Alassana Jatta.
He said: “There were no real openings in the beginning, but then we conceded a very sloppy goal.
“In the second half the frustration creeps in. We kept going all the way to the end. That’s all I can ask from the group.
“We believed that we could hurt them. You have to give credit to the opposition. They have the most clean sheets in the division for a reason.
“I wish them well in the final.
“Any team in the country would have missed McGoldrick and Jatta. We want McGoldrick to be in the team next season. He is in my plans.”
