AFC Wimbledon 2 Bury 2 – Injuries the only negative for Dons as they enjoy final day pressure-free of League One drop

By Anthony Scales

A second-half resurgence by visitors Bury was not enough to spoil the end-of-season party for a Dons side who confirmed their League One status at Doncaster on Tuesday night, but the match was overshadowed by two serious-looking injuries, including one to Dons striker Lyle Taylor.

The 28-year-old Montserrat international – widely expected to move on to a bigger club this summer – went down in obvious distress in the 27^th minute, clutching his Achilles and with the nearest player yards away, before being stretchered off to a standing ovation, his face buried in his hands.

The hosts had flown out of the blocks against a shell-shocked Bury as Taylor and Kwesi Appiah went close before Dean Parrett made the 12^th-minute breakthrough, firing past a diving Joe Murphy after Taylor flicked on a Barry Fuller long throw from the right.

Appiah went close six minutes later, firing wide after being picked out by a gorgeous crossfield ball from Egli Kaja, deep in his own half and Bury’s Jay O’Shea went close with a header midway through the first half before Kaja danced past Greg Leigh and sent an effort bouncing wide of Murphy’s right-hand post in the 25^th minute.

Appiah doubled the hosts’ lead after Taylor’s departure, coolly beating a horribly-exposed Murphy in the 34^th minute after Saul Shotton’s attempted back-header fell disastrously short and Wimbledon’s on-loan keeper George Long stood up well to deny George Miller four minutes later.

Callum Styles dipped an effort just over Long’s bar in the 52^nd minute as Bury started the second period more positively and the visitors went close again two minutes later, when Zeli Ismail ghosted in behind a slumbering Darius Charles but Long was off his line smartly to block with his chest.

The stretcher came out again after a collision between Ryan Cooney and Kaja in the 59^th minute, with the Bury defender coming off worst and after a lengthy delay Bury pulled a goal back, Neil Danns sending a lovely lob sailing over Long to drop into the right-hand side of the net after the home keeper came a long, long way to palm out Styles’ deep free-kick.

Dons substitute Andy Barcham sent a rasping drive crashing onto the underside of Murphy’s bar but Bury levelled five minutes from time, Miller rising to head home a corner after Long had done well to tip over a rocket from Ismail.

Long almost had an extraordinary farewell game at the end of his season-long loan as a mammoth goal-kick had Murphy backpedalling five minutes into injury time, and substitute Lloyd Sam, who may also have been making his Dons exit, drew a dramatic save from the visiting keeper moments later.

AFC Wimbledon (4-3-3): Long, Fuller, Robinson, Charles, Kennedy, Soares, Abdou, Parrett, Kaja (Sam, 73), Appiah (Barcham, 59), Taylor (Pigott, 32). Subs not used: McDonnell, Meades, Oshilaja, Egan.

Photo by Paul Edwards