There was nothing to separate the Dons and Crewe Alexandra as the two play-off chasing sides battled out a 1-1 draw.
An early goal from John-Kymani Gordon after just 78 seconds had Wimbledon in the ascendancy for the majority of the first quarter.
However, a well-struck effort from Rio Adebisi saw our side pegged back, which in the process made the contest more expectedly cagey.
Though both sides had bright moments in the second-half, neither was able to find the magic scoring touch. The draw means we stay well in the play-off race but with games ticking down, the need for points is growing as this race looks set to head down to the wire.
Johnnie Jackson made two changes to the side which started against Newport County last time out, with Josh Kelly and James Ball replacing Omar Bugiel – away on international duty - and Armani Little.
This therefore meant there was a reshuffle on the substitutes’ bench, with Ryan Johnson making his long-awaited return from injury and James Tilley also featuring.
The Dons have become known for scoring late goals this season but this time we popped up with an early one as Gordon got off the mark for the Club. It was the brilliant play of Jack Currie that fashioned the chance, with our full-back storming down the left-hand side to square for Gordon to finish low under the onrushing Tom Booth.
Energy and intensity was key to our start and it was something the hosts were struggling to deal with as Gordon, Kelly and Josh Neufville utilised their pace and aggression down the flanks.
Nevertheless, it would be Crewe who got the game’s next goal as Adebisi drove home, giving Alex Bass no chance after the Dons had been slow to close the defender down from a free-kick taken short instead of being crossed into the box.
Our response to the equaliser was good, with Curtis going close with an effort that drifted past the near post.
There was nothing to separate the two teams at the break, meaning it was all to play for in the second 45 minutes.
An early opportunity presented itself on the counter-attack as Gordon broke clear and played in Kelly, who shot over the bar from a tight angle.
With the game finely balanced, Johnnie made his first roll of the dice, bringing on James Tilley and Aron Sasu in place of Gordon and Kelly for the final 20 minutes.
When the Railwaymen did threaten our backline, John-Joe O’Toole was on hand to cut out any dangerous deliveries, continuing to show fine form since breaking into the side.
However, a near post corner routine very nearly paid off for the hosts, with Conor Thomas somehow directing a flick on over the crossbar from barely a yard out.
Josh Davison was introduced in place of Curtis for the closing stages as we looked to nick a late goal in the race for the play-offs.
Despite some late forays into the opposing half, we were unable to find that extra moment required to turn one point into three, meaning we left with a share of the spoils.
AFC Wimbledon: Alex Bass, Lee Brown, Jake Reeves, Kofi Balmer, Josh Kelly (Aron Sasu), Josh Neufville (Isaac Ogundere), James Ball, John-Joe O’Toole, Ronan Curtis (Josh Davison), Jack Currie, John-Kymani Gordon (James Tilley)
Attendance: 5,110 (497 away)
PICS: Paul Thompson (Pro Sports Images)
