SAM PARKIN
Our guest columnist examines AFC Wimbledon’s chances of staying up
HAVING watched AFC Wimbledon lose 2-1 at home against Charlton last week, it’s looking increasingly likely that the Dons will be playing their football in the bottom tier next season.
Before the latest round of League One fixtures, they sat seven points from safety at the foot of the table with 12 games remaining.
There was a tangible sense of deflation at the final whistle from both the home players and supporters. Despite matching the visitors for long spells, I felt like there was a certain level of inevitability about Charlton’s late winner.
During the final stages, the team dropped very deep and the defending became more desperate as they closed in on what would have been a crucial point in their fight for survival.
As the Charlton squad celebrated their victory on the far side of the pitch, I watched a number of disheartened Wimbledon players, heads bowed, drift past the main stand and into the dressing rooms. It looked like a monumental blow that may prove too difficult to get over.
Response
When Wally Downes was appointed in early December, the team initially responded well, especially at home, taking five points from the first three matches there.
The following four games at Kingsmeadow have seen four losses with 11 goals conceded in the process.
Although they were condemned to another defeat last weekend, there were certainly some positives to take from the performance. Defensively, they looked more organised than in recent weeks and Charlton found them difficult to break down.
The back three dealt with the Addicks’ attack confidently and the young captain Will Nightingale, in particular, really impressed, dominating his former teammate Lyle Taylor during a glorious old-fashioned battle between the two.
The best player on the pitch during the opening 45 minutes was striker Michael Folivi. With Charlton enjoying the majority of possession, the 21-yearold forward on-loan from Watford was the regular out-ball for the Dons.
He was sharp leading the counter-attacks, his touch assured and, invariably, he made the right decision on the ball. He capped a fine first half performance with his maiden goal in professional football, sliding in a set-piece at the far post. As he began to fade after the break, so too did his side’s chances of winning the game.
Elsewhere, they had a distinct lack of creativity. The youthful wing-backs Tony Sibbick and Steve Seddon provided great energy down the flanks and are both useful defenders.
Last Saturday, however, they struggled in the final third. They were unable to pick out midfield runners and also failed to provide quality crosses for the two strikers to feed on, something that was frustrating late in the game when the front two consisted of man-mountains Joe Pigott and James Hanson.
Frustrating
The midfield trio of Anthony Wordsworth, Scott Wagstaff and Anthony Hartigan brought plenty of endeavour but there isn’t enough sparkle in that area, someone to drop a shoulder or provide a defence-splitting pass.
When the likes of Joe Aribo and Jonny Williams got into their groove late on for the visitors, you could see why Charlton started the day 19 places above their hosts in the table.
By the time you’re reading this, the Dons will have returned south from a vital game at Shrewsbury. But it’s the home games that hold the key to safety. They need to play with the intensity of last Saturday’s first half across the entire 90 minutes.
With Folivi, Pigott and Kwesi Appiah amongst the goals in recent weeks, the great escape could still be achieved if they can stop shipping goals at the other end. A trip to troubled Bradford City in early May will be the final act in a turbulent season for the Londoners. Arriving in West Yorkshire with something to play for has to be the players’ minimum target for now.