DONS FIND THEIR STAR IN APPIAH
HE HAS had his fair share of clubs but journeyman Kwesi Appiah is starting to make his presence firmly felt at AFC Wimbledon, according to manager Neal Ardley.
The Ghanaian international reacted quickest to his initial blocked shot to lash into the top corner early on for the Dons, who then survived a late onslaught to record their first away victory of the season.
Appiah, 27, spent a loan spell at AFC Wimbledon in 2014 before making a permanent switch to the club this summer, bringing an end to a temporary stint at Norwegian club Viking FK.
“Kwesi is just finding his feet now,” said Ardley, after his side arrested a run of three games without a win.
“He was excellent midweek and he resumed service as normal. He caused the two centre-backs real problems.
“The most important thing for me is that we seem to have found an identity in the last couple of games.
“This was a great three points for us considering this is a tougher league than last season.
“We knew it would be tough coming here but in the first half an-hour, we carried a real threat. We unsettled Blackburn early on and didn’t let them settle into a rhythm.”
Blackburn applied early pressure but Dominic Samuel’s tame shot was no problem for Dons keeper George Long.
Wimbledon’s winner came in the 16th minute after a great run from Appiah who sprinted down the right wing and collided with Rovers captain Charlie Mulgrew in a sticky tackle.
However, he managed to pick up the loose ball and lash an effort into the top left corner.
Samuel had a second chance to put the Rovers on the scoresheet as he met Craig Conway’s inch-perfect cross on 26 minutes, only for his header to sail over the bar.
Dean Parrett nearly doubled the Dons’ lead but was denied by a host of Blackburn bodies near the goal-line.
Blackburn’s final effort was their greatest chance to salvage a point. Substitute Harry Chapman picked out Bradley Dack, who nodded the ball on from point blank range, but Long denied them. “Full credit goes to Wimbledon because they managed to nick a goal and defend very well for the majority of the game,” said Rovers Tony Mowbray. “We lacked a real quality in class. “We have to be better in those situations. We have to pick the right pass, be a bit more ruthless and put the ball in the net. “We were undisciplined in the last 20 minutes. We played a lot of long balls when we should have played it wide. That’s not the best way to win football matches.”