Match report
AFC Wimbledon’s long unbeaten league run came to end against Chelmsford City, with the Essex side smashing and grabbing a late winner to extend their margin over the Dons to 13 points. Substitute Kezie Ibe dealt the fatal blow on 81 minutes, driving the ball past Danny Knowles into the top right-hand corner. The best opportunity to level fell to Jason Goodliffe in the closing stages, but his fine effort cannoned off the inside of the post and away to safety.
In truth it was a match that neither side looked much like winning, with plenty of endeavour on display but little that could be deemed quality. Chances were at a premium as both defensive lines dominated. The game seemed to hinge on two substitutions, one by each manager, midway through the second half. It was Jeff King’s that paid off.
The mood had been so upbeat at 2.59 pm. A crowd of 3,124 had turned up to see what was billed as a ‘title six-pointer’ with Terry Brown calling it a “must win” game. Dons’ hopes were high following the recent FA Trophy meeting with Chelmsford and fans were keen to see the men in blue make up some ground on their rivals’ impressive start to the campaign.
Terry Brown gave a home debut to new striker Jon Main, while Rob Quinn returned to the centre of midfield. Sam Hatton and Steve Ferguson started on the bench, with the manager able to call on a strong sixteen-man squad which included Marcus Gayle and Mark Beard. Although the Dons lined up 4-4-2 it soon became clear that Jake Leberl and Quinn would compete in midfield with Mark De Bolla playing a free role in front of them. Tony Finn took his usual position, wide on the left.
Chelmsford’s stock was somewhat depleted with five first-teamers missing. Ben Chenery wouldn’t make the squad; while Mario Noto and Ibe were only deemed fit enough for the dugout. Jeff Minton, Stuart Ainsley and John Keeling were all serving suspensions.
Both sides probed for an early opening without testing the keepers. Ricky Holmes looked lively down Chelmsford’s left as Luke Garrard was isolated without a recognised right-sided player in front of him. Garrard was then replaced on 18 minutes with a nagging injury he’d picked up at the start of the match. Mark Beard came on in a like-for-like swap.
It wasn’t difficult to see why so many Clarets had been ruled out of this contest. They instantly adopted a physical approach and both Ollie Berquez and Bertie Brayley were booked inside half an hour for challenges that had little to do with winning the ball. But the visitors were organised and resilient. Their four big defenders seemed to regard the Dons attack as a minor irritant rather than a major problem, even if they didn’t particularly enjoy the aerial battle with Daniel Webb.
Holmes and James Lawson engineered the first meaningful attempt on goal squeezing the ball into the box for Brayley to run on to. Danny Knowles was sharp off his line to smother the danger.
Jamie England then hit a low drive from 20 yards that Knowles parried low to his left. Brayley raced in for the rebound but the Dons’ keeper recovered to kick into touch.
The hosts had to wait until the second half for their first significant raid on the Chelmsford goal. Jon Main’s classy first touch on the halfway line spun him away from Spencer Knight. He attacked the left side of the area, cut inside and blasted wide of the far post.
On 58 minutes Brayley was able to turn in the box and squeeze away his shot, but Goodliffe got enough of his body in the way for the ball to loop up into the keeper’s arms.
Sixty seconds later Webb was replaced by Steve Ferguson as the Dons’ chief hoped to pick apart the commanding Clarets’ back four with pace rather than aerial presence. Eight minutes later, Jeff King sent accomplished finisher Ibe on for Brayley.
Wimbledon continued to push forward. Antony Howard just failed to connect with De Bolla’s free-kick delivery from the right and the ball was scrambled away for a corner. Rob Quinn then found himself unmarked in the six yard box but lost the flight of the ball and it ran harmlessly through to keeper Danny Gay.
More Chelmsford bookings followed for Holmes and Knight as Chelmsford looked to keep it tight for the remaining quarter. There was increasingly less to trouble Andy Duncan and Steve Ward at the heart of the Clarets’ defence, so the visitors started to push forward, moving the ball well and asking questions of the Dons’ stamina and concentration.
Ricky Holmes broke at pace down the left with the Wimbledon defence back tracking after another wasted set-piece. With a three-on-two situation, Ollie Berquez inexplicably ran into an offside position and tossed away a great chance to put his side ahead.
But moments later the league leaders broke the deadlock. Holmes received the ball into feet on the edge of the box, flicked it on to Ibe racing past him and the Chelmsford marksman drilled the ball past Knowles, just nine minutes from the end.
Terry Brown played his final card, sending Marcus Gayle on in an attempt to try and salvage something from the game.
With a minute left on the clock, Leberl’s deep cross from the left was cushioned into the path of Goodliffe on the edge of the box. The Dons centre-half couldn’t have caught the ball any cleaner and it whisked through a crowd of defenders, only to crash off the foot of the upright and rebound to safety.
The referee allowed plenty of stoppage time but it never looked like being enough. Bad decision-making under pressure, poor dead ball delivery and a lack of ideas in the attacking third would define Wimbledon’s afternoon as Chelmsford – who came for one point – left the Cherry Red Records Fans’ Stadium with all three.
Meanwhile in the Ryman League Premier, Hendon were thrashing Folkestone Invicta 4-0 at the Buzzlines stadium, leaving Dons fans to contemplate a title race that is still very much open, but wondering whether it will still involve their side come April. |
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