Bradford twice fought back from behind before substitute Will Swan struck the decisive goal in a 3-2 victory at Valley Parade, lifting them into third place in League One.
Manager Graham Alexander reflected:
“Going 1-0 down and then 2-1 behind against a side that hardly concedes is a huge test. Credit to the players for grinding it out — that’s a massive three points.
“All the goals came from physical battles and second balls. Good sides find a way, and we managed that today. These experiences are vital for us to learn and improve. Wimbledon deserve recognition too — they’re a tough, well-drilled side who make it difficult for anyone.
“They’ll cause problems for plenty of teams. It felt like two confident sides, both used to winning, going head-to-head. I’m delighted with the resilience we showed to come back twice and win it.”
Marcus Browne had given Wimbledon the lead before Joe Wright headed Bradford level after goalkeeper Nathan Bishop’s missed punch.
Matty Stevens restored the visitors’ advantage early in the second half, only for Bobby Pointon to level again, reacting after Bishop denied Stephen Humphrys.
Swan then struck his fifth goal of the campaign to seal it, pouncing on a mix-up between Bishop and defender Ryan Johnson.
Alexander added: “Swanny did what he’s been doing consistently. It wasn’t an easy finish — the ball was skidding in the rain with the defender racing back to the line — but he kept his composure brilliantly.”
Opposite number Johnnie Jackson was left furious at how his team handed the points away.
“I’m seething,” he admitted. “To play as well as we did, create that many chances, and end up with nothing — it’s sickening.
“We scored two excellent goals, exactly as we’ve worked on in training — Browney finding pockets where he’s dangerous, Matty’s sharp finish, plus plenty of other opportunities.
“But we gifted them two goals. I could accept being carved open by good play, but the first and third were absolute giveaways. We’ve thrown away three points.
“I don’t care that we looked good going forward — we’ve got to be ruthless and stop giving things away. Not taking enough chances and handing them two goals is the difference.
“For this group to concede three like that is unacceptable. We’ll take it as an insult, because that’s not what this team is about. Joe Lewis being back is a positive, but that doesn’t matter to me today.”
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