Match report
AFC Wimbledon rounded off their holiday fixtures with a solid three-goal victory over lowly Fisher Athletic.
The Dons' early dominance showed after just eight minutes, when Tom Davis forced keeper Ashlee James down low to his left following a strike outside the box. James again was called into action 13 minutes later, this time to gather Tony Finn's tame effort.
Almost inevitably, first blood was drawn by Jon Main. After his Boxing Day hat-trick at Champion Hill, Main unleashed a superb volley just before the half-hour mark after Danny Kedwell's flick forward.
Fisher were trying to gain a foothold in the game, and started to give the home side some cause for concern. Joe Howe certainly felt he should have done better with a wayward strike just before the break. Indeed, Fisher should have pulled level after the break, when Carl Gibbs sprung the offside trap to perfection. However, his mis-control in the box allowed James Pullen to gather a wasted opportunity.
This stung the Dons, who immediately re-asserted their general superiority. Soon after Gibbs' attempt, Jason Goodliffe headed against the crossbar following a corner. Then, Sam Hatton was over-stretched at the far post following Kedwell's teasing cross. Any nerves in the large Kingsmeadow crowd were finally soothed just after the hour mark, when Hatton looped over the advancing James - again, thanks to fine work by Kedwell.
The ex-Grays striker eventually got his just reward with little over ten minutes remaining. After managing to hold off Fisher's centre back pairings with a blend of skill and power, he was able to fire off a powerful drive that was simply too much for the hapless Fisher defence. To their credit, Fisher kept plugging away at a resolute home defence, but the three points and the first win of the New Year fell to a determined Dons outfit. |