Dons boss Ardley hails penalty decision after dramatic comeback

Wimbledon boss Neal Ardley praised referee Mark Heywood for showing the “bottle” to award his side the stoppage-time penalty that sealed a stunning 3-2 comeback win over relegation rivals Walsall.

Ardley’s Dons trailed 2-0 at half-time to Jack Fitzwater’s close-range strike and a fine solo goal from Walsall’s Stoke loan striker Julien Ngoy.

However, Joe Pigott got Wimbledon back in it early in the second half, slamming home the rebound after Lyle Taylor’s penalty was saved by Walsall keeper Liam Roberts.

Taylor volleyed the Dons level with a superb strike and then drew an injury-time foul from Kory Roberts, with Dean Parrett’s emphatic penalty capping a stunning turnaround.

Victory saw Wimbledon leapfrog the Saddlers into 18th, four points above the bottom four, and Ardley praised referee Heywood’s bravery.

Ardley said: “Anywhere else on the pitch, it’s a free-kick but when they are in the penalty box, they don’t give them.

“It’s a penalty but most refs would bottle it and think, it’s too big a decision, I will get too much stick for it. He didn’t. And he deserves a lot of credit for that.

“It was a wonderful comeback from us.

“I just challenged the lads to do something they haven’t done all season and see this as the moment to do it. I told them not to take one backward step for the whole of the second half and they did it.

“It’s almost definitely going to need to be 52 points to stay up the way the other teams are going but my lads have shown real character this last week.

“We’ve got four more games and we’ve got to get at least three more points on the board.”

Walsall, meanwhile, are two places and three points off the drop, with boss Dean Keates fuming at the late penalty.

Keates said: “I’m frustrated, angry, upset – like I imagine everybody in the stadium is feeling.

“We’re accountable for the first two goals, there’s no doubt about that. It wasn’t good enough.

“But the decision for the second penalty and the third goal is an absolute embarrassment.

“Taylor’s backing in. I’ve seen it on the clip already. As the ball is in mid-air, Taylor’s done what a good forward would do. He’s backed in and as soon as he’s felt any contact, he’s gone straight down.

“The referee’s got sucked into it. It’s an embarrassment.

“It’s a massive blow for us. At half-time we were comfortable. We had to come out in the second half, keep a clean sheet and be brave. They made a change and we didn’t deal with it.

“It should still have been 2-2 and even then we would have been devastated with that after the first-half performance. But somebody’s made the headlines about themselves.”