Wimbledon fall short in final third as League One relegation fight heads into critical period

BY DANIEL MARSH AT PLOUGH LANE

The meeting between AFC Wimbledon and Burton Albion in midweek involved two of the form sides in League One – not that you’d know it from watching the highlights back.

Burton actually sat at the top of that form table heading into Tuesday night. Unfortunately for Mark Robinson’s side, they failed to brew up anything of any quality to trouble their resurgent visitors.

Tuesday night’s triumph saw the Brewers’ record five consecutive victories in the EFL for the first time in their history – but even with that label, it’s a game which is unlikely to live long in the memory for anyone.

Robinson hit the nail on the head in his post-match comments, when he described the evening as “two teams nullifying each other”.

Neither side would be able to honestly say they did enough to win, but Wimbledon can’t have any complaints after throwing away points to another soft goal.

There will be question marks over how a routine long throw led to the ball bobbling around the Dons area for what seemed like an eternity before Michael Bostwick lashed it home sweetly. It needed someone to take charge – Sam Walker will feel he could have done more in that regard after watching the goal back.

It’s no coincidence that one of the first things Robinson set about doing upon taking charge was to bring in a restarts coach. If there’s one thing that’s stood out while covering the Dons this season, it’s that the majority of their set-plays have been extremely poor.

But there’s only so much a coach can do. It’s still down to the players to take responsibility on the field. That responsibility from restarts was absent once again for Bostwick’s strike in midweek – just as it was when Wimbledon were chasing the game in the dying moments. Deep free-kicks and corners were all floated straight into the grateful arms of Ben Garratt, who won’t have had an easier night all season.

It’s pretty unforgiveable to waste such opportunities at the best of times, especially on night’s like Tuesday where the Dons failed to create anything fluent at all – and that’s not an exaggeration.

Perhaps that will be the bigger concern, as Wimbledon failed to build on the momentum they garnered with Ollie Palmer’s injury-time equaliser to cap a fine performance at Blackpool a few days previously.

The Dons only registered two attempts on goal compared to the 14 – six on target – they peppered Blackpool with a few days earlier. Both efforts were on target, but to even label them as efforts is generous. Joe Pigott’s tame header and Jaakko Oksanen’s feeble effort at the death both barely had the steam required to reach the arms of Garratt.

It took 82 minutes for Pigott’s headed effort to arrive as the hosts’ first effort on goal. It goes without saying that Wimbledon need to show a greater attacking impetus if they are to survive their latest flirtation with relegation.

But make no mistake, ultimately it’s the issues at the other end which have banished memories of the Dons’ best ever start to a League One season – and its now starting to seriously jeopardise their chances of actually retaining their third tier status.

Bostwick’s volley is the latest edition in a catalogue of horrendous goals which have been gifted to opposing teams time and time again this season by Wimbledon. They’re now starting to pay the price for them as the games slowly begin to tick away.

How they perform in the next couple of fixtures against fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers and Wigan Athletic will go some way into revealing whether or not the Dons will pay the ultimate price for their defensive nightmares this season when the final point totals are totted up in May.

STAR MAN
Darnell Johnson. The Leicester loanee was a colossus at the back all evening.

BEST MOMENT
Johnson and Mike Fondop’s battle was the highlight of a ridiculously dour game.

Pics by Keith Gillard and Paul Edwards