Dons Ladies march clear at the top
AFC Wimbledon Ladies manager Chris Lyons said there will be no let-up from his squad in their relentless title pursuit after they moved 14 points clear.
A 2-0 victory over nearest challengers Leyton Orient marched the Dons clear at the top, but Chris warned that the London and South East Regional Women’s League title is far from wrapped up heading into the Christmas break. Rebecca Sargent (pictured) produced a player of the match performance and sealed victory on the hour.
“We go into it ahead of everyone, but we’re aware that London Corinthians have games in hand on us, and winning those would put only five points between us,” said Chris. “For me, that’s too small a margin, so we won’t be taking our foot off the gas until this season is over. But for now, we’ll enjoy the break, reflect on our hard work, and recharge the batteries for our next opponents.
“We have an incredibly strong squad, and even when we’re not necessarily playing at 100 per cent we’re still strong enough to get the result. We know that we weren’t at our best against Orient, but that’s football and there will always be days like that at any level of the game. What was important for us is that we continued our winning streak, and took another three points.”
The Dons enjoyed a perfect start versus Orient when Kelly Jade-Whelan continued her prolific form by heading home a corner from Zoe Clifford in just the sixth minute.
However, visitors Orient regrouped and put together a very spirited fightback as they enjoyed more possession than Wimbledon. However, the Dons remained resolute and Salgado dealt well with anything that did get through.
The Dons made their possession count though and the killer second arrived in style on the hour. Clifford and Whelan combined well again to set-up Caz Bisson and though she failed to convert, Rebecca Sargent slid in to finish clinically. The Dons upped their tempo a bit more in the second half, but it was still not at their usual standards and Orient continued to have more of the ball.
Next up for the Dons is a trip to London Corinthians on 3 January.
AFC Wimbledon: Salgado, Wylie (Mclaren 65), Houghton-North, Clements, Clarke, Trimnell, Suchley, Sargent, Clifford (Hoesli-Atkins 75), Whelan, Bisson. Sub not used Colliver, Bavington.