The lowdown on Harrogate Town 0 AFC Wimbledon 3 – The Dons take the most comfortable of away wins with a score that flattered their hosts

BY DAVE HUNT-JACKSON

Wimbledon won their fourth consecutive away fixture and climbed back into the League Two play-off places after a 3-0 victory at Harrogate Town.

Here is the lowdown on the match.

THE LINE-UPS

AFC Wimbledon: Goodman O’Toole,Johnson, Tilley, Bugiel (Pigott 77), Kelly, Neufville, Smith, Stevens, Harbottle (Sidwell 90+1), Ogundere. Subs not used: Ward. Biler, Williams, Sawyers, Furlong,

Harrogate Town: Belshaw, Asare, (Foulds 72), Falkingham (M Daly 15) Moon, Cornelius, J Daly, Folarin (Muldoon 60), Simms, O’Connor, Sutton. Subs not used: Oxley, Burrell, March, Muskwe.

SNAPSHOT OF THE GAME

In dreadful conditions, courtesy of Storm Darrah, the Dons blew their hosts away. Josh Kelly doubled down on his midweek display with a goal and an assist, John Joe O’Toole bagged his first goal for the Dons and Matty Stevens’ 10th goal in the league this season completed the rout. Stevens had a goal disallowed and the visitors had two solid penalty claims rejected by the officials. The score could, and should, have been far worse for the Yorkshire outfit.

TACTICAL APPROACH

The available personnel forced Johnnie Jackson to play with three strikers and Kelly’s form may make him stick with it in future. Alistair Smith and Riley Harbottle were at the heart of midfield with three centre-halves and two wing-backs. Where the game was won and lost was in the way they handled the vicious cross winds. Wimbledon were well-drilled and despite looking to hold their opponents until they had the wind at their backs in the second half, such was the difference in how they adapted to the conditions they turned around with a two-goal lead. Harrogate never got to grips with the conditions and looked completely unable to handle either the weather or the Dons.

STAR MAN
Josh Kelly. It’s hard to imagine that he has spent most of the season on the bench, often unused. As part of a front three he looks like the missing piece, combining brilliantly with his two strike partners. He was unplayable today.BEST MOMENT
John-Joe O’Toole’s close-range header and the passion of his celebration. It’s going to be very hard to drop O’Toole (main picture) on this form.

MOAN OF THE MATCH
The referee who disallowed a perfectly good goal simply because the keeper failed to claim the ball before ignoring a blatant push on Kelly for what should have been a penalty.

A TALKING POINT DOWN THE PUB
Johnnie Jackson recalled both Harry Sidwell and Morgan Williams from development loans this week, depriving them of potentially 90 minutes of experience at their respective loan clubs. Despite leading 3-0 for the last four minutes of the match, and the growing injury list amongst his starters, he chose only to give Sidwell two minutes during time added on.

As a selling club – where developing academy talent is so essential – it’s hard not to see this as an opportunity missed to give these two promising youngsters some game time and see what they might have to offer. It is to be hoped they will get to feature in the league campaign sooner rather than later.

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD