Terry Brown has been sacked as AFC Wimbledon manager. Picture: Tony Marshall/EMPICS

The Dons emerged triumphant from their opening day encounter with Stevenage

AFC Wimbledon boss Terry Brown admitted that there were still many aspects of his side’s game left to work on, despite this impressive opening day victory over League Two new boys Chesterfield.

The Dons, who had endured a torrid pre-season encapsulated by a 0-7 home reverse to Reading, played with a great deal of confidence during the second half against the Spirites, although they could have been comfortably behind before last season’s top scorer Jack Midson got their 35th minute breakaway winner.

“Chesterfield totally battered us in the first half an hour, with our side never really being able to get out of our own half” said Brown. “A combination of bad finishing on their part and good goalkeeping on ours allowed us the opportunity to get our noses in front – and on one of them hot days when its great to be sitting on a 1-0.”

While Brown’s goalkeeping namesake was voted man of the match, it was Midson who truly caught the eye through a well-taken low finish and some excellent second half link-up play with Luke Moore.

“That’s why Jack’s a twenty goal a season man” added Brown, referring to the goal that broke the deadlock. “It was a superb finish on his wrong foot, and he run his socks off all afternoon. Him and Luke Moore were fantastic up front, with not a lot to work off.”

Wimbledon were tipped as a pre-season struggler this year, but this performance will have given Brown confidence that his side may even be able to mount a push for the play-offs.

“We needed a win today at home. I wouldn’t dismiss our pre-season as it highlighted a lot of weaknesses that we had. We haven’t got them all right yet – that’s not a strong enough performance for me. Chesterfield will be right near the top come the end of the season, and today was a good time to play them.

AFC Wimbledon: Brown, Cummings, Macdonald, Mitchell-King, Balkestein, Kiernan (Jolley), S Moore, Harris, Long (Yusseff), Midson, L Moore