Unlikely match-winner Chris Willmott hopes his televised goal on Sunday will help him to become a regular in the Wimbledon first team.
The 24-year-old only played against Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park because Wayne Brown has returned to Ipswich Town after his three-month loan spell.
But he headed only the second goal of his career midway through the second half of a remarkably one-sided match.
It was a great day all round to win the game, score the winner and keep a clean sheet in a live televised game is fantastic, said Wilmott.
I have been in and out of the team, but with Brownie going back to Ipswich I now have the opportunity to stake a claim.
I was happy with the way things went and getting the winner was a great bonus.
Neal Ardley headed against the post early in the game and the Dons squandered a hatful of chances.
It looked to be men against boys as Forests young side relied on goalkeeper Darren Ward to keep them in the match. He made fine stops to deny Neil Shipperley and Damien Francis.
Willmotts goal came after Shipperley had nodded on Ardleys corner and it ensured the fans who protested throughout the game against the proposed move to Milton Keynes had something to smile about.
Dozens of fans of other clubs were also represented in the Fans United section of the ground, with the rest of the stadium left virtually empty.
The protests probably benefitted the Dons, with the home fans in the crowd of nearly 6,000 making all the noise and the live TV coverage clearly persuading most of the Forest fans to stay at home.
Wimbledon are likely to face a tougher game on Saturday when they travel to Norwich City, who boast one of the best home records in Division One.
Last Saturdays 2-0 win over Coventry was the Canaries ninth success in 12 league games at Carrow Road this season and they have been beaten just once.
The Dons may come up against a familiar face.
David Nielsen, on loan from Wimbledon, made his Norwich debut as a substitute against the Sky Blues and scored their second goal.
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