Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson hailed the impact of Omar Bugiel after the forward spurred the club to a 5-1 demolition of Walsall.
Bugiel, 30, dominated proceedings from the offset, and was duly rewarded for his movement and physicality with a hat-trick and the man-of-the-match award.
Jackson lavished praise on the Lebanese international for his superlative display.
He said: ”He’s a manager’s dream to be honest.
”He’s a great lad, a real good character and gets what we’re about. I think he’s a perfect fit for the football club.
”We try to shape the team around him, getting crosses into the box.
“He’s in the right places now, whereas when he first came to us he wasn’t in positions to score goals.
”He’s taken it all onboard now, proper player.”
Bugiel completed his hat-trick within just 52 minutes of play, and also provided an assist for Ronan Curtis before Mo Faal’s own-goal, with the Saddlers’ only consolation coming from Anthony Hutchinson’s penalty.
It was perhaps the perfect way to finish the season in front of a rapturous Plough Lane, with both sets of supporters paying tribute to the recently deceased Joe Kinnear.
Wimbledon legend Kinnear, who passed away earlier this month from vascular dementia, was honoured by a minute’s applause ahead of kick-off and Jackson added his voice in tribute to the Irishman.
He stated: ”I played against his teams when he was manager of Luton Town, and had a couple of brief moments with him.
”He was a gentleman but what he’s done here, when you come to a football club you look at who came here and what they achieved and try to emulate it.
”He took the club to their highest ever finish and was heralded for that and rightly so.
”He was a proper football man.”
Meanwhile, Walsall manager Mat Sadler voiced his disappointment in the day’s events, with the defeat allowing Wimbledon to climb ahead of the Saddlers in the final league table.
He said: ”I think you saw that level of disappointment and that’s not something I want to see from my team.
”I’m frustrated we have to stew on this result for some time now.
”That’s the frustration for me today because the group have been amazing this season.
”From minute one they’ve moved the football club forward this season in many different ways.
”We wanted to finish strongly and we weren’t able to do that today and I think building into next year, games that have gone away from us, we have to eradicate them. They can’t happen.
”I have to give it a bit of perspective from what we’ve done this season, but I can’t help but be disappointed that it’s gone the way it’s gone today.
“There will be things we’ll be disappointed in but my job now is to make sure we improve in the areas we want to improve in.”
[(Shimizu S-Pulse) Weakness]: 1. Shimizu S-Pulse are 13th in the J1 League table. Facing 2nd-placed Kashima Antlers, they will find it hard to win this match due to their declining form, indicating doubtful motivation.2. Shimizu S-Pulse defender Yuji Takahashi and forward Sena Saito will miss this league game due to injuries.3. Shimizu S-Pulse were winless with 2 draws and 3 losses in the last 5 g...
Liverpool table fresh Guehi bidAccording to The Athletic, Liverpool have submitted a fresh bid worth £35 million ($47m) to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. The Reds had earlier seen two bids rejected by the Eagles, but they remain hopeful that this time the offer will be accepted.Fenerbahce eyeing move for EdersonTurkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce are eyeing a move for out-of-favour Manc...
Roma medical for Liverpool fullback TsimikasAS Roma are holding a medical for Kostas Tsimikas today.The Liverpool fullback is leaving Anfield after finding himself third-choice this season behind fellow left-backs Andrew Robertson and Milos Kerkez.La Gazzetta dello Sport says the Greece international is expected in Italy today to finalise his move.Tsimikas will undergo a medical ahead of signing a...
FBL-ENG-PR-CHELSEA-FULHAMMarco Silva has demanded an explanation from the Premier League after lambasting three "shocking" refereeing decisions in Fulham's 2-0 Premier League loss at Chelsea.WHAT HAPPENED?The Whites thought they had taken the lead against their west London rivals Chelsea when 18-year-old Josh King coolly slotted past Robert Sanchez. However, the goal was chalked off by referee Rob...
[(Shonan Bellmare) Strength]: 1. Shonan Bellmare are one of the bottom teams in the table, taking 25 points and being in the relegation zone. They are strongly motivated to grab points.[(Shonan Bellmare) Neutral]: 1. Shonan Bellmare drew the last 4 home games, revealing mediocre home performances.[(Shonan Bellmare) Weakness]: 1. Shonan Bellmare lost 1-0 to Fagiano Okayama on the road in the last g...
Manchester United Training Session And Press Conference - UEFA Europa League Final 2025Chelsea have completed the signing of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United.WHAT HAPPENED?Garnacho has signed a seven-year contract with the Blues after the two Premier League clubs agreed a deal worth a fixed £40 million fee ($54m) with a 10 per cent sell-on clause, Goal understands. The 21-year-old ha...
Marc Guehi Crystal Palace 2025-26Liverpool have launched a fresh bid for Marc Guehi as they hope that Crystal Palace will finally accept their proposal and agree to sell their star defender before the summer transfer window closes on Monday. The Reds have been linked with a move for the England international throughout the summer and the champions are determined to secure his signature.WHAT HAPPEN...
West Ham United v Lille OSC - Pre-Season FriendlyAston Villa are close to signing West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta on an initial loan with an obligation to buy next summer.WHAT HAPPENED?Villa are on the brink of agreeing a £47 million (€54m/$63m) package for Paqueta which includes a loan fee and add-ons, according to Fabrizio Romano. The report also states the 28-year-old has ac...
[(Nagoya Grampus) Strength]: 1. Nagoya Grampus currently have only 28 points and are near the bottom of the league table. To avoid relegation, they need to earn points.[(Nagoya Grampus) Neutral]: 1. Nagoya Grampus' 7 successive games ended with OVER.[(Nagoya Grampus) Weakness]: 1. Nagoya Grampus lost 2-4 to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their last Emperor's Cup game, with poor performance.2. In the lates...
Cody Gakpo Liverpool 2025Premier League champions Liverpool have confirmed that star attacker Cody Gakpo has put pen to paper on a new long-term contract, which has extended his stay at Anfield beyond 2028. The Dutchman who joined the club in January 2023, during the Jurgen Klopp era, has established himself as a regular starter under new boss Arne Slot and has now committed his future to the Reds...
- 1 OFFICIAL: Sevilla sign former Chelsea star Cesar Azpilicueta
- 2 OFFICIAL: Alejandro Garnacho joins Chelsea from Manchester United
- 3 Lucas Paqueta to leave West Ham! Aston Villa close in on £47m loan-to-buy deal to sign attacking midfielder
- 4 DONE DEAL: AC Milan splash out for Chelsea striker Nkunku
- 5 Preview: What to expect when Arsenal visit Liverpool
- 6 Liverpool table fresh Marc Guehi bid as Reds hope £35m proposal will finally convince Crystal Palace to sell centre-back
- 7 VAR controversy masks Chelsea's issues in win over Fulham
- 8 TIPS - Nagoya Grampus VS FC Tokyo
- 9 Tottenham’s new star Xavi Simons was mentored by Neymar
- 10 Should Manchester United transfer Bruno Fernandes away?