Mistakes prove costly for young Dons
in a defeat to Crawley Town that was ultimately down to defensive errors.Billy FrostAFC Wimbledon Under-18s failed to build on an excellent goal from
was pleased with the football his side played at times, particularly when Frost (pictured) finished off smartly after a four-man passing move, but mistakes proved to be their downfall in a 3-1 away loss.Mark RobinsonAcademy Manager
failed to gather a through ball and that allowed Crawley to make it 1-0.Billy Bishop all having attempts on goal. However, Wimbledon slipped behind midway through the first-half when Dons goalkeeper Egli Kaja and Ben Harrison, Dan AgeyiWimbledon’s bright start provided little indication of what was to come as they dominated the opening exchanges with
It was a good response from Wimbledon to that setback though and Ageyi brought a great save from the Crawley goalkeeper, before Bishop was forced to deny the hosts a second before half-time.
Wimbledon’s task was made much tougher 10 minutes after the break when Bishop’s clearance bounced off a Crawley player and rebounded straight into the net.
minute when Frost finished off an impressive team move with a smart finish.ndThough the Dons had struggled to recapture the fluency of their first-half display, they earned a lifeline in the 62
, who had been outstanding in the first-half.Ben Harrison entering the fray in place of Neset Bellikli on for Frost, and Under-16 Renato Morais replacing Ageyi, Harlan BaskerMark Robinson shuffled his pack 25 minutes from time in an effort to find an equaliser with
allowed Crawley to seal a 3-1 win.Taylor Roles and Ryan SweeneyWith the Dons pushing for a late equaliser, they were caught out five minutes from time when a mix-up between
Mark Robinson said: “There was so much to be pleased about during the first-half because our rotation all over the pitch was excellent and we passed the ball effectively to create a lot of chances. However, in the second-half we lost our heads, adapted poorly, and therefore never had any rhythm to our play. The reality though is that you cannot gift any team three goals and expect to win a game of football. My two centre-backs will learn from Crawley’s third goal and I have no worries about Billy Bishop because he is a great talent and will come back stronger.
“This loss was not like other defeats that we have suffered this season. A lot of the givens that you look for in a performance were in place, but we just need to work on adapting our game to different challenges.”