Monday 27 August 2007 Ryman League, Premier Division AFC Wimbledon    1 - 1    Staines Town Steven Ferguson (28)   (67) Marc Charles-Smith    Andy Little 1 James Courtnage     Luke Garrard 2 Marcel Nugent    (sub 46)  Michael Haswell 3 David Sargent (sub 46)     Robert Quinn 4 Danny Gordon ( 43)     Jason Goodliffe 5 Matt Flitter    ( 78)  Jake Leberl 6 Andre Scarlett ( 90)     Steven Ferguson 7 Lewis Cook     Samuel Hatton 8 Adrian Toppin     Daniel Webb 9 Victor Asombang (sub 68)    (sub 79)  Richard Jolly 10 Mark Nwokeji    (sub 69)  Karl Beckford 11 Leigh Mason ( 59) (sub 60)      ---     (sub 79)  Robin Shroot 12 Marc Charles-Smith (sub 68)     Paul Seuke 13     (sub 46)  Kevin Warner 14 Howard Newton (sub 60)     Richard Butler 15 Dwain Clark    (sub 69)  Antony Howard 16 Adam Thompson (sub 46) (sub 46)      17 Chris Robinson    Match report It was difficult to evade the disappointment around the Fans’ Stadium as AFC Wimbledon emerged from their bank holiday fixtures with just one point from six. The Dons failed to turn a half time lead into victory against Staines Town, drawing 1-1 with a Swans’ side that threatened to take all three points away with them following a fine second half recovery. For the first time this season, Terry Brown was unable to name the same starting eleven. Anthony Finn was crocked at East Thurrock United and would not even make the bench for this match. Karl Beckford would get his chance on the left of midfield and Robin Shroot would step up from Reserve duties to join the senior sixteen. Fourth placed Staines could boast early season top marksman Mark Nwokeji up front, while former Dons Dave Sargent and Lewis Cook lined up down the left flank together. The hosts began quickly with Steve Ferguson looking particularly lively down the right wing. Daniel Webb had a shot from close range saved on six minutes and Karl Beckford somehow contrived to kick the rebound against himself and out for a goal kick. At the other end, Lewis Cook grazed the Tempest End cross bar from 25 yards and the match seemed to be warming up into an intriguing contest. Moments later Cook played Victor Asombang in behind the Dons’ back line but lost control of the ball and Andy Little gathered before the powerful forward could square to one of his colleagues waiting in the six-yard box. Dave Sargent would then try his luck from 20 yards but the ball sailed out of the ground. Wimbledon were seeing plenty of the ball without turning that possession into clear cut chances. It was something of a surprise then when they took the lead on 27 minutes. Sam Hatton curled his corner from the left to the far post where Ferguson was arriving to nod past James Courtnage. It heralded a good spell for the home side. Ferguson played in Beckford whose deflected shot was well stopped by the Staines keeper. Beckford went close again, his attempt drifting past the right hand post after a fine move down the right involving Ferguson, Hatton and Webb. Impressive front-man Daniel Webb was then unlucky to see his header whisk past the post from another pinpoint Hatton dead-ball delivery. Just before half time Richard Jolly’s snap shot inside the box beat Courtnage but Danny Gordon was wide awake on the goal line to clear the danger. Michael Haswell had to be withdrawn at half-time with an injury and Kevin Warner joined the fray, lining up against his former Swans team mates. Meanwhile Steve Cordery had made a change of his own, replacing Dave Sargent with Adam Thompson and moving Marcel Nugent to left back in order to combat Ferguson’s pace. Three minutes after the restart Luke Garrard hit the underside of the cross bar with a cracking 25-yard half-volley. Ferguson then latched on to a poor goalkeeper’s clearance trying an audacious first-time strike from 40 yards that floated just past the right hand post. With the Swans looking more and more desperate at the back, Richard Jolly attempted a clever overhead kick from just inside the box but it wouldn’t trouble Courtnage as it spun away for a goal kick. Cordery shook up his troops with two substitutions in the space of seven minutes and they paid dividends. Attacking midfielder Howard Newton came on for Leigh Mason to provide some pace and directness, before Marc Charles-Smith arrived to add an aerial threat up front. Terry Brown responded by bringing centre-half Antony Howard into the mix for Karl Beckford, shifting Leberl into central midfield and Hatton over to the right flank. Staines equalized with their very next attack. Andre Scarlett worked a short corner on the left and, while the Dons were still settling into their new shape, Lewis Cook floated his cross to the back stick for Charles-Smith to head home with his first touch. The match turned on a sixpence. Suddenly it was the Dons on the back foot, their cohesion disintegrating, struggling to contain a Swans’ side that had some new-found belief. Newton’s pace was causing all kinds of problems for the home defence and Nwokeji was definitely on the scent for a killer strike. Adam Thompson went close twice, his first header flashing wide before a better effort was cleared of the line. Newton latched on to a cross on the edge of the six-yard box but couldn’t keep his shot down and it grazed the roof of the net. Moments later the substitute engineered a yard of space but fired over the bar. Lewis Cook drove a direct free-kick effort through the Dons’ wall but Andy Little made a smart save low to his left. The former Dons winger should have won the game, arriving to convert Nwokeji’s cross but slamming his second bite over the bar after a defender had blocked the first shot. As the game edged into stoppage time the Dons, at sixes and sevens, incredibly nearly won it. Sam Hatton found Steve Ferguson with a fine cross field pass and the Scot shimmied inside his marker before curling the ball towards the top left corner only for it to thump back off the cross bar. Deep into injury time Newton blazed over again for the visitors but they appeared far more delighted with their point at the final whistle than the Dons faithful who left the Fans’ Stadium pondering missed opportunities, and hoping that Terry Brown can put some teeth in his attack before next Saturday’s match with Harrow Borough. Next Match >>