Portsmouth 4 AFC Wimbledon 0 – Dons dismantled on the South Coast
BY DANIEL MARSH
AFC Wimbledon’s dismal run of form continued with a comprehensive 4-0 loss at Portsmouth.
A trio of first-half goals from John Marquis, Ryan Williams and Sean Raggett came before Ben Close added a fourth late on to condemn the Dons to defeat – stretching their winless run in the league to eight games in the process.
The hosts found the breakthrough just before the half-hour mark following a pretty uneventful start to proceedings.
A neat passing move saw the ball delivered from the right-hand side to the head of Williams. His flicked header looked to be creeping in but was bundled over the line by Marquis for his second goal in as many games.
Unfortunately for Wimbledon, that goal set the tone for the rest of the evening, as the floodgates opened.
Pompey’s second strike just eight minutes later was a beauty. Williams picked the ball up around 25 yards from goal and bent a sumptuous strike beyond the sprawling Sam Walker to leave Wimbledon with a mountain to climb.
Things got even worse for the Dons in the 43rd minute as their defensive frailties were exposed once again with another simple finish for the hosts. A whipped free-kick from Michael Jacobs was emphatically headed home by Raggett to effectively kill the game off before the interval.
Wimbledon should have had one goal back shortly after the break.
The returning Luke O’Neill whipped a great ball to the back post, but Jack Rudoni (pictured above) failed to keep his header on target.
Chances for the Dons were few and far between though, and Portsmouth probably should have added to their tally.
Raggett went close to a second after the Dons failed to clear their lines from a set-piece before substitute Ellis Harrison was denied a fine solo goal by Walker.
Unfortunately, there was still time for Close to drill home a fourth strike from the edge of the box to cap a miserable evening on the South Coast for Glyn Hodges’ men.
It’s now just a single point Wimbledon have taken from the last 24 available. The Dons are in desperate need of a spark to end their dismal run ahead of two tough games on the road.
PHOTO: PAUL EDWARDS
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