Match report
AFC Wimbledon survived a late onslaught and began 2008 with a hard-fought victory over previous league leaders Hendon. An early Jon Main penalty, followed by second half individual efforts by Tony Finn and Mark De Bolla, saw the Dons at one point coasting 3-0. Yet a stubborn fight back from Hendon saw the score pegged back to 3-2 and many of the 2,770 in Kingsmeadow will certainly have aged during the game’s dying minutes. However, thanks to a defiant effort, the Dons collected the precious three points
Hendon boast an impressive side, much improved from last season when they finished fourteenth in the table. Then their attack was impotent, scoring the fourth fewest amount of goals in the league. This season upfront they are rampant, having already surpassed last season’s tally. In fact it was a clash between the league’s best attack and its best defence. The Dons lined up 4-4-2, Will Salmon and Tony Finn came in for Luke Garrard and Steve Ferguson. Interestingly Finn started on the right, and Beckford on the left.
Hendon began the stronger and Wimbledon were guilty of a New Year’s Day hangover as the imposing Brian Haule powered a header inches wide for the visitors with barely a minute on the clock. Hendon continued to press and Knowles had to be alert in goal. His calm gathering of crosses and constant punches thwarted Hendon’s early advances.
However, it was Wimbledon who struck first. Karl Beckford pulled up with an injury on 27 minutes. As his replacement, Mark De Bolla, was waiting to come on the ball was sent into the area and Main was felled by a Hendon defender. Referee DK Rock instantly pointed to the spot. In truth, it was not the strongest claim for a penalty, yet that is hardly a fact that would trouble Terry Brown‘s conscience. Main dispatched the penalty with authority and AFC Wimbledon led.
Seemingly shell-shocked, Hendon still attacked with vigour. Haule again went close for the North London club. Played through, the lanky striker was unable to beat Danny Knowles, who smothered his effort admirably. Ex-Womble Casey MacLaren then fizzed a shot narrowly wide. The half was hard fought and eagerly contested and there were several crunching tackles that the likes of Goodliffe, Quinn, Beard and Leberl enthusiastically engaged in. Goodliffe in particular did well to subdue his lively opponent Haule.
Fortune had certainly favoured the Dons in the first half and they started the second half brightly. Hatton entered the fray for Jon Main at half time and was required to play down the right flank. De Bolla moved upfront with Webb. Hatton was the third player in 45 minutes employed to attack Hendon’s Sam Collins, who was enthusiastically booed all afternoon by the Dons faithful for daring to play for the Franchise (the left back is currently on loan at Hendon from Milton Keynes). De Bolla and Finn were beginning to cause Hendon problems upfront and the birthday boy De Bolla hit a decent effort narrowly over with ten minutes gone of the second half.
Jason Goodliffe encouraged his forwards to go in search of another goal, knowing a second was vital against a team scoring freely this season and, on 70 minutes, Tony Finn seized the initiative. Although less involved than usual until then, Finn demonstrated his canny knack of producing match-turning moments that make his inclusion so pivotal. He was released down the left and began a marauding run, mesmerising the defenders. Seeing an opening, he cut in and blasted the ball past Wilmot with his right foot and Kingsmeadow rocked. Yet there was little time to digest Finn’s superb effort, as minutes later Wimbledon fans were then treated to a similarly impressive solo effort, when Mark De Bolla tricked and turned his way past markers and grabbed himself another birthday present. A fine goal and surely a vital three points for Wimbledon.
For five minutes it seemed as though Wimbledon would score more. Eventual Man of the Match Finn had developed a hunger for the game and was suddenly at the centre of everything productive for Terry Brown’s men. However, with Wimbledon attacking, Hendon caught the home side on the break and won a corner. Possessing a demon set-piece delivery all afternoon, it was inevitable that Hendon would score from one of these deliveries. Sure enough Haule powered in a header that his own performance deserved and suddenly it was 3-1. Hendon had a glimmer of hope.
The setback didn’t affect Wimbledon’s ambition, as they maintained their attacking mindset, yet minutes later they were caught out again. Quinn failed to clear a difficult ball over the top and the ball was then cut back to the on-coming Scott Shulton, who finished with authority. Kingsmeadow was in for a grandstand finish with a galvanised Hendon suddenly throwing everything at Wimbledon. Antony Howard was thrown on to help spoil Hendon’s teasing set-piece delivery. Knowles, confident and assured all afternoon, was rapidly becoming bombarded with more and more bodies, including Richard Wilmot, up from the Hendon goal. Hearts rose to mouths in the dying seconds as Wimbledon’s keeper was unable to reach a delivery and the ball fell at the feet of a Hendon attacker whose lifted shot beat Knowles, only for Sam Hatton heroically to head the ball off the line.
The final exchanges were frantic but the referee’s whistle brought music to Wombles’ ears. Wimbledon had severely dented Hendon’s title bid and certainly re-ignited their own aspirations. In such crucial matches half chances must be taken and, somewhat uncharacteristically for this campaign, Wimbledon did just that, whereas Hendon were guilty of missing theirs. Maybe 2008 will be the year of many goals for Wimbledon. Certainly today was an exciting start to the year. |
42) (sub 60)