Kevin Nolan explains decision to take off frustrated Fornah in first half of Dons loss
Kevin Nolan has explained his reasons for taking off Tyrese Fornah just 30 minutes into Sunday’s defeat at AFC Wimbledon.
Town were chasing shadows in the opening half-hour at Plough Lane as Wimbledon’s 3-4-3 system caused constant problems, particularly on the right side where wing-back James Tilley ran riot. It was Tilley’s cross that led to Callum Maycock’s 10th-minute goal and he also twice went close himself.
In response, Nolan hooked an attacking midfielder (Fornah) and replaced him with a centre-back (Max Dyche), and the rest of the game was far more even, though Cobblers still succumbed to defeat. Fornah was understandably frustrated to be taken off so early and seemed to head straight down the tunnel. The away fans were not too enamoured by the decision either.
"It's always a difficult place to go and credit for them for how they started because they put us under the cosh,” admitted Nolan. “They got the goal and Burgey made a couple of good saves as well. Something had to be done so we made the subs early.”
Asked if the reason for the changes was to match up Wimbledon’s wing-back system, Nolan replied: "It was but it was not only that. Ty's played a lot of games over the last few weeks and he's only just coming back after being out for a long time and our my eyes we felt he was the one who looked a bit more fatigued than the rest.
"It could have been one of many to be honest and I totally understand why he was frustrated – but I was frustrated with the way we were playing so I had to change something.”
Defender Michael Forbes struggled to explain on why Cobblers were so lacklustre in the first half, saying: “They came out fast and we didn’t match their intensity and we didn’t compete well enough so we were chasing it from the start. I can’t put my finger on why that was.
"The first half just wasn’t good enough and a lot of things went wrong. We changed the shape and made a couple of subs and that helped us a bit. The second half was better but if you start any game like that, you’re not going to give yourself the best chance. It’s really disappointing.”