Big Bayo bullies but Robins fly with point
NEAL Ardley insists he is happy co call on on man mountain Adebayo Akinfenwa as opposed to go up against him after AFC Wimbledon hit back from a goal down to earn a point at Cheltenham.
The powerful forward didn’t score, but he caused the home defence real problems and hit the woodwork in the second half as Wimbledon looked the most likely winners.
Adam Barrett cancelled out Matt Taylor’s opener for the hosts, but it was Akinfenwa who Ardley was keen to talk up.
“The big man up top was brilliant again and I heard one of the Cheltenham players say in the warm down ‘I hate playing against him’,” Ardley said.
“Nobody can handle him and he is beating himself up for missing a chance in the second half, but the run he made to create it was phenomenal.
“We try not to use him as a battering ram and we try to give quality into his feet because he understands the game and when we do that he is unplayable.”
While Akinfenwa posed a constant threat, Cheltenham boss Mark Yates described young central defender Jack Deaman’s debut on his Football League debut as ‘outstanding’.
“Akinfenwa was a real threat, but I thought we dealt with him well overall and Jack Deaman was outstanding,” Yates said.“He was one of our stand-out players, putting in some quality forward passes on his League debut and playing up front against two quality forwards, so he can be pleased.
“We lost Troy Brown to suspension and I wanted whoever came in to play brilliantly so I couldn’t leave them out and I thought Jack did that, so there were lots of positives.
“After a really good start, we couldn’t quite find the quality in the second, but that happens sometimes and we are not fretting about it.“
Skipper Taylor gave Cheltenham the lead in the eighth minute, following up to stab in his first for the club from close range after Lee Vaughan’s low cross was spilled by goalkeeper James Shea. John Marquis and Raffaele De Vita both went close to a second but Shea redeemed himself with two good saves.
At the other end Matt Tubbs saw a close-range header well saved by Trevor Carson before Akinfenwa’s shot deflected over the bar.
But Wimbledon levelled in the 41st minute when George Francomb’s cross was half cleared to defender Barrett.
Akinfenwa hit the bar with a left-footed shot on the turn in the 75th minute and he made a chance for himself with a fine individual run seven minutes later, but this time his shot rolled inches wide.