Waterfall double leaves Ardley fighting in the rapids – and Dons deep in League One trouble
AFC WIMBLEDON 1
Hanson 35
SHREWSBURY TOWN 2
Waterfall 57, 89.
BY SAM SMITH AT THE CHERRY RED RECORDS STADIUM
Things were meant to be different at AFC Wimbledon this season. A summer exodus of players to make way for a fresher, younger squad and an excellent pre-season campaign each provided evidence that the Dons would move on from last season’s relegation scrap and eventual narrow survival.
But as the Wimbledon players and staff trudged off the pitch here at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, eyes locked to the turf and clapping the fans almost apologetically, the feeling that this season will most likely require a repeat of the last had already sunk in.
The first 17 games of this League One season have given credence to the arguments that replacing the majority of a squad and decreasing the average age is not necessarily an ideal way to move on to pastures new. It has also been proof that a good pre-season is not an indicator as to how well a team might do when placed into the far more pressured environment in which points are crucial.
The home friendlies which saw the Dons rinse Premier League Brighton and Championship Reading now seem a world away. When there is no pressure, Wimbledon are free-flowing and exciting to watch. The contrary sparks a bottled-up mentality. Whether that comes from the management, is a trait of the personnel or both is a key question.
This game was pretty typical of Wimbledon’s season. It started so brightly and ended so bitterly. James Hanson nodded in Mitch Pinnock’s corner but the South Londoners should have been 3-0 up at half-time. They were dominant. Goalkeeper Joe McDonnell watched on as the first half unfolded 60 yards from his goal.
Shrewsbury’s inferiority in those 45 minutes could not be better illustrated than that Dons defender Terell Thomas troubled his goalkeeper more than they did. The centre-back – a late replacement in the starting 11 for the injured Rod McDonald – lost sight of the onrushing McDonnell while chasing down a backpass and powered a header towards his own goal which the 24-year-old did well to clutch to his grasp.
The next time McDonnell had the ball in his grasp, he was hunched over and picking it out of his net, punting it back to the centre-circle with a large degree of exasperation. Wimbledon had allowed a header from a corner to bounce invitingly across goal and Luke Waterfall rifled the ball into the net with the visitors’ first effort on target.
For 10 minutes after the goal, the Dons looked rattled. Aaron Amadi-Holloway twice tested McDonnell having cut in from the left wing.
But the hosts soon regrouped. Ardley had made his players spend six hours with sports psychologist Steve Sylvester in the build-up to this game, largely to improve their mentality when responding to setbacks.
Pinnock struck the post with a stunning free-kick before substitute Jake Jervis was beaten to the rebound on the goal-line by some excellent defending from Omar Beckles. Ardley pointed to that moment when talking about some of his players lacking desire.
For all the criticism of Ardley over the last few months, for his team selection and his tactics, in this instance he was correct. His players were not outplayed, nor did it seem their tactical approach was misplaced.
Wimbledon lacked the desire to clear the corner which led to the first goal. Then Jervis failed to react when Pinnock’s free-kick smacked the post and the ball rolled along the goal-line.
And when a floated free-kick entered the Dons’ box a minute from full-time – a mere 60 seconds from a much-needed point – it was Waterfall who itched most to meet it rather than any defender.
The ball bounced against the post and agonisingly over the line. Boos ensued, seats slapped against their frames and many headed for the exits.
The loss of a pivotal three points against a fellow struggler. A third of the way through the campaign, it stands as a measure of their failure to make progress when so much more had been promised.
Wimbledon (4-4-2): McDonnell 5, Sibbick 6, Thomas 6, Oshilaja 6, Purrington 5, Pinnock 6, Hartigan 7 (Appiah 86), Soares 5, Wagstaff 5, Pigott 5, Hanson 6 (Jervis 53, 4). Not used: King, Watson, Trotter, Egan, Burey.
IMAGE BY PAUL EDWARDS
