Assistant boss felt the Dons deserved a penalty
Neil Cox said he was disappointed with referee Andy Woolmer’s decision not to award a penalty in the final minute of injury-time.
Neil felt that Wimbledon produced a good team performance in front of 406 travelling Dons supporters at Tranmere, but a dramatic conclusion at Prenton Park went against them.
Though Wimbledon’s assistant manager admitted it was a great last-grasp strike by Tranmere’s George Green to salvage a 1-1 draw for the hosts, he believes the Dons were denied a clear-cut penalty when Ade Azeez was sent sprawling in the box.
Speaking during an interview for Dons Player, Neil Cox said: “It was a good team performance, but we are disappointed not to come away with the win. At 1-0 up we had two or three good chances. The boys worked hard. We closed them down and tried to play when we had the ball, but we have ended up drawing the game after a great finish at the end.
“I thought we were the better side in the first half. We went with two up front because we wanted to win the game. We played up to Bayo Akinfenwa and had runners playing off him. Bayo was immense again, Craig Tanner caused them problems, and Sean Rigg was sharp. I thought our fans were brilliant and they watched our lads have a right go at it.
“It was a definite penalty at the end for us. The referee was 10 yards away. If he does not give it then he has to book Ade. I don’t think there was any reason for Ade to go down because he was in front of goal. Yet again, a refereeing decision in the last minute has cost us.”
A real positive for Wimbledon on the day was that academy products Tom Beere and Ben Harrison both played key roles, the latter coming on as an early substitute for the injured Jack Smith.
It was an aspect that particularly pleased Neil with both youngsters offering encouragement for the future.
“Tom did really well before he tired in the last 10 minutes,” added Neil. “He had a shot that came close to making it 2-0. Ben Harrison came on and did very well against a good player. Jennison Myrie-Williams is a handful at this level, but Ben coped well against him. They put us under pressure in the last 20 minutes, but our young defence defended good overall.”
The full interview with Neil Cox will be on Dons Player later on.