League form reversed by Barnet
AFC Wimbledon Under-18s had their bright league start blighted by a cup defeat on Saturday as they came up short against Barnet.
The Dons youngsters, currently fifth out of 15 teams in Football League Youth Alliance South East, slipped to a 3-0 home defeat against a side that they defeated on the opening day of 2013/14.
unable to attend, said that there is plenty of work to do on the training pitch after this reverse. Though Wimbledon were level at the break, they paid the price for missed opportunities during their period of second-half domination and Barnet were in ruthless form at the other end.Mark Robinson, who was in charge with David WalshWimbledon Under-18s assistant manager
had kept Wimbledon in it during the first-half, but he was beaten for the first time midway through the second-half and two late Barnet goals made it a harsh final scoreline for the Dons.Billy Bishop also came close for Wimbledon after his introduction. Daniel Agyei (pictured) fired against a post. Substitute Harlen Basker pulling the strings in midfield. That resulted in chances for the Dons and they came closest when Dan Gallagher and Billy FrostWimbledon’s best spell came in the first 20 minutes after half-time with
It means that Wimbledon will now be up against it to qualify for the knockout stages of the Football League Youth Alliance Cup after this defeat.
David Walsh said: “Though 3-0 flattered them, the chances we missed during the second-half proved costly. We were much better in the second-half and moved the ball around more effectively, but they scored on the break and their second goal was spectacular. The first-half was disappointing because we did not get hold of the ball enough. Our work rate in terms of giving good angles and support when we were in possession was not good enough and that is an area we will need to work on in training, along with our finishing.”
AFC Wimbledon Under-18s: Billy Bishop, Rob Switon (Taylor Roles), Ryan Sweeney, Ben Harrison, Callum Wilson, Nas Majeed (Oliver Haines), Billy Frost, Dan Gallagher, Egli Kaja, Callum Overton, Harlen Basker (Daniel Agyei).