AFC Wimbledon: Port Vale nightmare should prompt Johnnie Jackson decision | OneFootball

Ryan Johnson's poor performance against Port Vale may push Johnnie Jackson into axing the vice-captain from the team for now

Last season, Ryan Johnson was earning rave reviews from AFC Wimbledon fans as he formed a formidable partnership with Joe Lewis in the heart of Johnnie Jackson's four-man defensive setup.

Fast-forward a few months and the same imperious defender is now facing questions from a lot of fans as to whether he is a good fit for the team and if he should be keeping his place for upcoming games.

His shocking performance against Port Vale last weekend compiled the misery for the former Stockport County defender.

But can Jackson afford to drop his vice-captain, who is wearing the armband in the absence of skipper Jake Reeves, and ask others to step up in his place?

Ryan Johnson's poor performance against Port Vale

While the game at Vale Park may have been exciting for the neutrals to watch, for Wimbledon fans, it was rather painful viewing.

The Dons were two goals to nil down within the first fifteen minutes and were not the most proactive about carving into that lead during the remainder of the first half, playing some very poor football and only creating one meaningful opportunity.

While Vale's second may have been a mixed case for who was to blame, the same cannot be said for the first.

With the Dons playing a more attacking higher line, unusually for an away match, Johnson intercepted the ball but in trying to play a simple pass, gave it straight back to the opposition.

Then in the ensuing counter-attack, with cumbersome pace, he failed to track runners or intercept the cross and generally looked as though he was not too bothered about defending, despite the importance of the game.

In the second half, Wimbledon had much more attacking impetus about them and managed to carve into the two-goal lead quite quickly. However, within a minute of the first goal for the Dons arriving, the side from SW19 had conceded yet another, and while Johnson was not entirely to blame for the goal itself, his lack of willingness to commit to a tackle or interception proved costly.

Johnson would not see much more action following the third Port Vale goal, as not only did Wimbledon then mount an all-out-attack barrage on the Valiants' goal, but he was also substituted with just under 15 minutes to go, with Isaac Ogundere replacing him.

What has caused this drop in form from Ryan Johnson

The drop-off in form is extremely worrying for a player that was so crucial to the solid defensive setup that Wimbledon had at the start of last season before injuries and poor results took charge.

It is also very concerning that, currently, Johnson is captain of the team with normal club captain Reeves struggling to come back from an ankle injury picked up against MK Dons.

He was appointed as vice-captain in the summer, to the surprise of a few fans, given there were more vocal members of the team that had stepped up well in the absence of Johnson and Lewis.

However, that role seems to have weighed on him, with mediocre performances becoming a bit of a norm this season, especially away from home.

While Cheltenham Town is an outlier to that fact, away games at Bromley and Notts County have shown already this season that Johnson does not seem to be not the same player that was signed from Stockport County and performed admirably last season.

The two reasons why Ryan Johnson needs to be dropped following Port Vale

So, having discussed the performance against Vale, and why a drop-off has happened over the course of the start of this current season, why is dropping Johnson something that needs to happen for Wimbledon?

Put simply, it will give others a chance to shine in two very different areas where the former Stockport defender has struggled this season.

Firstly, focusing purely on the playing side of things, moving Johnson out of the team would open up the opportunity for Isaac Ogundere to solidify his place in the team. Despite his youth and stature, he has been fairly dominant when featuring this season, and if Jackson makes the sensible move, then it will allow 'Ogs', as he is affectionately known, to shine and become the next first-team star to have progressed from the academy.

'Ogs' has also looked far more comfortable playing on the left-hand side of the three centre-backs that Jackson likes utilising now in his current setup, with his nature as a full-back perhaps helping ease him into that role as an overlapping centre-half. Johnson has looked quite the opposite, often not having the finesse of a full-back when presented with an attacking scenario.

Secondly though, if Reeves is not back soon, it will allow another player to take up the captaincy and have the chance to show what they can do as a leader of the team, which is something that Johnson has failed to be at times this season.

Already this year, the likes of James Ball and Joe Lewis have taken up the mantle and played extremely well while doing so, with Lewis perhaps having the most notable impact. His sole game as captain so far this season, against Newcastle United no less, showed he could be an unbeatable leader in defence, but also a leader that, at the backend of the game, could inspire his team to find that last bit of energy to push for a potential goal.

There are other candidates too. The aforementioned Ogundere has already captained the side in a first-team game, and given his experience at youth level with the captaincy, it would make logical sense. Omar Bugiel, too, could be a contender for the first-teamer to step up and put on the armband in Reeves' absence, with the talismanic frontman proving to be an all-action player at times this season and certainly someone that the squad could rely on and look up to in moment of need.