Winger Kevin Cooper, a £1million signing from Stockport a month ago, kept
Wimbledon on course for a play-off spot with two key contributions.
The tricky Cooper set up the first goal and scored the second against a
battling Forest side.
This was the game that neither team dared lose, or even draw, if they were to
retain their hopes of a top six place.
Wimbledon still have a lot to do, but three of their remaining four games are
at home to teams in the lower half of the table. The other is away to champions
Fulham next Saturday.
Forest will have to wait another season to see if their flourishing youth
policy can lift them into the big time.
They were by no means disgraced and, with a little luck in front of goal,
could have turned the game round.
Certainly, they had a lively attacker in Stern John, who deserved his goal,
which gave Forest a hint of a lifeline with 15 minutes to go.
Dons have shown remarkable consistency in the last third of the season and,
with top scorer Jason Euell back after an ankle injury, remain a potent force.
Forest were rocked two minutes after the break when a hopeful punt forward by
Wimbledon's Mark Williams caught the defence dreaming and put Cooper in the
clear.
Though the winger scuffed his shot, it was enough to take the ball past Dave
Beasant and David Nielsen finished off from close range.
Cooper appeared to have made the game safe midway through the half with a
curling shot inside Beasant's right-hand post after good work from Neal Ardley.
Dons were coasting until they were shaken out of any complacency by Stern's
sharp finish after he was set up by David Johnson.
The closest to a goal in a tense opening half came when John turned quickly in
the penalty area and drew a blocking save from Kelvin Davis. As the ball ran
loose, Darren Holloway completed the clearance.
There were some heart-stopping moments too, for the large travelling Forest
contingent, particularly when defender Chris Doig came close to an own goal as
he swung at a cross from Alan Kimble.
Beasant, who enjoyed his greatest footballing moment when lifting the FA Cup
for Wimbledon in 1988, earned his keep with a hand to turn away a fierce volley
from Trond Andersen.
Teams
Wimbledon: Davis, Cunningham, Kimble, Holloway, Williams, Andersen, Cooper, Roberts, Ardley, Euell, Nielsen.
Subs Not Used: Heald, Hughes, Ainsworth, Gray, Hawkins.
Booked: Holloway.
Goals: Nielsen 48, Cooper 70.
Nottm Forest: Beasant, Scimeca (Jones 45), Edds (Harewood 75), Doig, Hjelde, Prutton, Andy Johnson, Bart-Williams, Gray, John, David Johnson.
Subs Not Used: Roche, Vaughan, Edwards.
Booked: Hjelde, Andy Johnson.
Goals: John 77.
Att: 10,027.
Ref: C Wilkes (Gloucester).
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