Johnnie Jackson was delighted with the shift that returning captain Jake Reeves put in to help see out AFC Wimbledon’s 1-0 home victory against Gillingham on Monday night, taking them up to second in League Two.
The midfielder has been out since the start of October with an injury he picked up in the closing minutes of Wimbledon’s game against Salford.
His inclusion in the starting line-up, after being an unused sub against Swindon four days earlier, was a welcome surprise to fans as he helped shore up the midfield to hold on to their lead, courtesy of a controversial Matty Stevens goal.
“Reeves was brilliant,” said Jackson. “I didn’t expect him to get through the 90 to be honest. We’ve tried to manage his return smartly because we need him to stay fit for the rest of the season.
“We have been trying to get him a bit of training before we throw him in. We could have brought him on in the last game but I decided to protect him to just get him a few extra days of training.
“I just felt that tonight was the game for him. He looked ready in the past couple days of training and he showed what he’s about tonight. He brought us stability and composure, we missed him.
“We’re a better team when he’s out there, not only on the ball but when you are under pressure. He galvanises the team and he organises, it’s really important to have that type of player out there.”
With Reeves’ return just one of several players who look set to rejoin the squad early in the new year, Jackson expressed confidence in the condition of his team as we enter the second half of the campaign.
“We’ve been massively up against it with the injuries we’ve been dealt, but what we’ve done well in that period is still pick up results and consistently pick up points.
“There’s been defeats but, apart from Walsall, who hasn’t had them in the league? What we’ve done when we’ve had one is we’ve gone and picked something up in the next game or the one after. We’ve kept ourselves right amongst it, missing a load of key players, which is really pleasing.
“They’re all in there tonight and a lot of them are getting closer so it feels like we’ve got a really good group to attack the second half of the season and see where it takes us.”
PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD