Ryan Longman and Joe Pigott on target as Dons win for first time at new Plough Lane home

BY MATT VERRI

AFC Wimbledon held on for a 2-1 victory over high-flying Peterborough United and their first win back at Plough Lane.

After a largely uneventful first half, the Dons scored twice in six second-half minutes through Ryan Longman and Joe Pigott to move into a commanding position.

Jonson Clarke-Harris pulled one back for the visitors with a brilliant free-kick, but the hosts stood firm to move into the top-half of League One.

Peterborough started the better of the sides, and should have taken the lead after 10 minutes. Siriki Dembele pounced on a mistake from Daniel Csoka and drove into the box, pulling it back for Ryan Broom who hammered his effort against the bar.

The hosts failed to offer much going forward, and were probably the happier when the sides went in level at the break.

AFC Wimbledon improved in the second half though, and got their reward after 54 minutes. Jack Rudoni’s shot from the edge of the box was parried out by Christy Pym but only into the path of Longman, who was on hand for the simplest of finishes.

And that lead was doubled after an hour through Pigott’s seventh league goal of the season. Peterborough failed to clear a corner, the ball dropped in the six-yard box and the Dons’ top-scorer was alert enough to poke home.

The visitors halved the deficit with 20 minutes to go, Clarke-Harris winning a free-kick on the edge of the box and then whipping it around the wall into the bottom corner.

Pigott rattled the bar with a superb free-kick of his own as he very nearly made sure of the result late on, but the Dons held on  for a hard-fought win.

PHOTO: PAUL EDWARDS