AFC Wimbledon manager Neal Ardley called it two points dropped after watching his team hold League Two promotion hopefuls Northampton Town to a 1-1 draw at Kingsmeadow.

The Dons took a first half lead through Alan Bennett’s header, only for Neil Sullivan to bring down Roy O’Donovan and Adebayo Akinfenwa to convert the spot kick.

A single point keeps the Dons rooted to the foot of the table, although the bottom three – including Accrington Stanley and Plymouth Argyle – are separated only by goal difference.

Ardley said: “We deserved to win that, we played with energy and had some good chances. The whole performance was excellent from start to finish.

“Whether it was a penalty or not was difficult to tell from where we were on the far side, but either way, it is two points dropped.”

Toby Ajala, playing his last game in a Dons shirt before his return to Bristol City, said: “It was not a penalty in my view because Sully got a touch on the ball first.

“But we’re guilty of not holding on to leads and we’ve done that again tonight.”

He added: “I would have liked to finish on a win, but I want to thank the fans for all their support since I’ve been here.”

The Dons go to Dagenham & Redbridge this weekend, before a huge clash against Plymouth at Kingsmeadow on Tuesday.