Thrown out by Pedro Caixinha at Rangers, Harry Forrester scored on his first start as AFC Wimbledon edged out Northampton Town in League One.
Harry Forrester was forced to wait to prove his worth to AFC Wimbledon. But, when given the chance, the 26-year-old seized it in style.
Each of Forrester’s eight appearences for The Dons had come from the substitutes bench but manager Neal Ardley finally handed the winger his first start for the club in Saturday’s away trip to Northampton Town at Sixfields.
And Forrester did not disappoint. With 61 minutes on the clock against Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s hosts, the former Aston Villa youngster lashed home a stunning drive from range which clipped the post for aesthetic affect. It was Wimbledon’s first league goal in four games – ensuring the 507 travelling fans went home happy.
And Forrester will surely be wishing that Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha knows just what a supreme strike it was. After all, the Portuguese coach did not wait around to cast off the former Doncaster Rovers star in the summer, forcing him to train with the reserves before loaning him to Wimbledon.
Caixinha barely gave Forrester a chance when he took over from Mark Warburton in March but it appears his new manager at Kingsmeadow, has far more belief in his talents.
“Harry is a good player, no one is doubting that,” Ardley told the club’s official website. “The problem we’ve had with Harry is trying to get him up to match tempo.”
With Forrester managing 73 minutes against Northampton, his most substantial outing since returning to English football, the future is looking bright.
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