AFC Wimbledon 4 Plymouth 4 – Thriller in west London as Argyle fight back

BY DANIEL MARSH

AFC Wimbledon shared the points with Plymouth Argyle following a sensational 4-4 draw in west London.

Argyle took an early lead through George Cooper, which was cancelled out by Dons skipper Joe Pigott. An exceptional strike from Conor Grant on the stroke of half time ensured that Glyn Hodges’ men would be behind at the break.

Wimbledon would go on to mount a stunning fightback, with Shane McLoughlin netting an early equaliser before Pigott grabbed his second on the hour. Ryan Longman scored his first Dons goal to put them 4-2 up, before Niall Canavan and Dominic Telford found the net for the visitors.

It was Plymouth in the ascendency during the early stages, with the Dons struggling up against the direct and tricky Cooper.

After looking bright, it was no surprise that it was Cooper who gave Argyle the lead with just a quarter of an hour gone. McLoughlin failed to clear a short corner, giving the ball directly back to the Plymouth man, who bent an excellent finish inside the far post.

Fortunately, that seemed to wake the Dons up, as they drew level just three minutes later. Ryan Longman picked up the ball after a set piece and was alert enough to square the ball for strike partner Pigott to tuck home from close range.

Wimbledon looked brighter after the goal, and had some fleeting moments of promise but would find themselves going in at the break behind once again.

If Cooper’s opening strike was of a high quality, Grant was determined to outdo him. He picked up the ball around 25 yards out before bending a sublime strike beyond Connal Trueman and inside the far post to restore the visitors lead.

If the Dons were deflated by that late blow, they didn’t show it, as they mounted their second comeback of the game just minutes after the restart. McLoughlin would atone for his involvement in the Argyle opener with a neat close-range finish following a low ball in from Nesta Guinness-Walker.

The turnaround was complete with an hour gone. Pigott had done exceptionally well to win a free-kick just outside the box. The Dons skipper decided to take it himself – and bent home a stunning second strike.

Wimbledon looked to have wrapped up the points with a fourth not long after. Pigott was heavily involved again, threading through for Longman to neatly lift the ball over the keeper for his first Dons goal.

Unfortunately for the hosts, the scoring wasn’t done. A brace of close-range headers firstly from Canavan and then from Telford ensured a share of the spoils for Plymouth in an absolutely ridiculous game.

PHOTOS: KEITH GILLARD