AFC Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson said conceding late in their 1-1 draw at Colchester was a “sucker punch”.
It looked like the promotion-chasing Dons were heading for victory after Marcus Browne latched on to Jake Reeves’ pass before curling a low shot past Colchester goalkeeper Matt Macey to give them a 39th-minute lead.
But substitute Samson Tovide nodded in Jack Payne’s pinpoint free-kick from close range to net an 89th-minute equaliser and rescue a point for the U’s.
Wimbledon are now 12 unbeaten but boss Jackson said: “It was a bit of a sucker punch.
“They were putting us under pressure, they were chasing the game, that’s only natural.
“It wasn’t a foul in my opinion (for the free-kick) for the goal, so that would be the thing that I’d be a little bit aggrieved about because my player comes out with the ball after a good tackle.
“You know in that sort of area, Jack Payne has got really good delivery.
“We’d stood up to everything they’d thrown at us as far as corners and free-kicks up to that point; he puts a ball on the money and they get their goal.
“We have to take that one on the chin – we shouldn’t have been put in that situation but we should have defended the situation better.
“We have conceded off one and we have to take one point instead of three, in a close game.”
Colchester had twice been denied in the first half by their former goalkeeper Owen Goodman, who saved from Jamie McDonnell and Fiacre Kelleher.
Tovide eventually equalised but they had to play the final few minutes with 10 men after winger Owura Edwards was sent off in stoppage-time after collecting a second yellow card.
Colchester boss Danny Cowley said: “We should have won.
“Wimbledon are second in the league but they didn’t get into our box until the 31st minute and I just thought we had such a good control of the game.
“We found ourselves 1-0 down and Marcus Browne is above the level, for sure.
“We got a bit greedy, we tried to overload the ball, they manage to get it through and he bent it through our centre-half’s legs and into the corner.
“We’re resilient, relentless and we go to the end.
“It was a great header by Samson and a great ball by Jack Payne.
“We have to keep showing that durability and that’s the least the supporters deserve.
“Our supporters go to work all week, work really, really hard to get a small amount of work off at the weekend and they want to see their team fighting.
“That’s the least we can do and the boys did that.”
