AFC Wimbledon 1 Stockport County 0 ( Football League 2 ) Saturday 28 January 2023

 

 

County went down 1-0 today at Plough Lane in a dreadful game that was ultimately decided by a masterful  display of the dark arts by John Jackson`s AFC Wimbledon side that left a sour taste in the mouths of  over 1100 travelling County fans and surely any neutrals present!

From the off, our hosts fed off the referee`s gullibility with a rich mixture of fouls, feigned injuries and assorted time wasting.

 County seemed not to be fazed though, indeed slowly began to impose themselves but this proved an illusion quickly punctured by Hippolyte`s missed penalty, culminating in Pell`s goal for the unimpressive Dons early in the second half that was the cue for the most prodigious display of time wasting and fouling I can recall seeing-  designed( successfully) to disrupt the games flow  and rhythm.

If I was disgusted at Wimbledon`s tactics I was equally disappointed with County`s response.

The edge was clearly off their work after the break probably not unrelated to some of the fouls by our hosts that were inadequately dealt with by the terrifically inept James Oldham the man nominally in control of affairs. Rydel took a wicked whack at one point ( and unbelievably got booked for it )and faded thereafter, and he was by no means alone.

If forced to name a M.O.M I would go for Byrne who complimented sound defending with some intuitive forward passes that maybe deserved a better fate, and Hinchliffe who made a clutch of vital saves late in the first half when Wimbledon first hinted they might just nick this one, Generally speaking however it was just not a good day at the office for County.

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Back at 3 o`clock there was no Madden in the County starting line up , his place taken by Camps , but there was optimism about under the roof of the Cherry Red Records Stand that housed County`s large away following never the less .

This was added to by anger as within 30 seconds Collar took a clattering that laid him out for a while- `targeting ` I thought but perhaps I should give the Dons the benefit of the doubt?

Offside saw off County`s first real attack before it was time for Byrne to show us the coolest of responses to bamboozle Ali Al Hamadi.

That was 4 minutes gone.

Another 4 and Byrne pushed forward to good effect first with a pass to Rydel on the left  then the right where Knoyle was able to win a corner. Two more flag kicks followed in rapid order but without any Dons feathers being ruffled.

Then the away end erupted at the sight of Harry Pell`s elbow in Croasdale`s face stretching the County man out on the damp turf.

Soon 10 minutes had gone by with little football of note to report as the game`s flow became victim of Wimbledon`s disruptive time wasting tactics, and referee Oldham was buying it all wholesale highlighted on 16 minutes when Wright  somehow got booked after Alex Pearce just `fell down` with Akyl elsewhere and plainly innocent.

Dons did work an opening next but Knoyle did just enough to ensure Al Hamadi couldn`t get a header on goal.

Some football at last, then some more as Croasdale`s shot on the turn on the end of it was deflected for a corner that County fed into keeper Tzanev`s arms.

Then the Rydel incident mentioned earlier. Play was heading down the left where Rydel chased the ball with Biler who was late to the ball taking the County man out as a consequence. I was flabbergasted when the referee then gave Wimbledon a free kick and booked Rydel!

I was fuming loudly and long after that one, but things seemed about to buck up just after the half hour when Byrne seized possession slinging the ball to where Knoyle lurked beyond the far post. There seemed perhaps too much pace on the ball as the home keeper went for it with Knoyle, but with the ball now dead Tzanev opted to take the County man out!

Mr Oldham`s reaction was immediate- he pointed to the spot. Cue virtually the whole Wimbledon team surrounding the referee – probably not congratulating him on his decision.

He was adamant though, it was a penalty, but what he did not do was book Tzanev or any of the assembled horde of blue and yellow shirted Dons.

If that left me incredulous what followed almost finished me off as Hippolyte having claimed the ball and the honour duly fluffed this golden chance failing to test the keeper with the poorest of kicks.

Queue as County may after this for a shot at goal with the home back line seemingly under stress, they could not put matters right- Hippolyte going closest with a shot that drifted wide on 35 minutes.

Then the home side seemed to find their bearing in the half’s last 5 minutes forcing Hinchliffe into heroics to keep it at 0-0- first off saving a dubiously gained free kick , then a fierce drive by  Josh Davison on 44 minutes, finishing the half off with perhaps his best saves to deny first Al Hamadi then Davison as he breached County`s offside trap deep in added time.

That was that for the first half and I was glad of the break after so much non- football.

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Wimbledon pushed forward upon the resumption after the break, and within just 3 minutes their day just got brighter as the ball headed from wide left to Bile who re-directed it inside to Pell who headed home to the joy of the home specs.

This revved the said specs up a touch and they were screaming insanely for a penalty as a perfectly good tackle by Wright stopped a break by Davison- they were disappointed!

But that was a relatively rare occurrence as Mr Oldham was now gifting the home side shed loads of free kicks for generally innocuous challenges.

Madden and Stretton replaced Croasdale and Hippolyte just before the hour mark.

Biler shot wide for Wimbledon next, but more disappointment came County`s way just after that as Madden slotted a neat finish home to seemingly give County the equaliser, but the liner`s flag was upraised, and the goal was ruled out for offside!

MacDonald came on for Rydel next with fouls and time wasting still proliferating from the home side.

Madden was just kept out by Biler with 17 minutes left. The yellow shirted blues needed to not waste anything but the free kicks we did get seemed to go nowhere- the same with corners that came and went without puncturing the Dons bubble.

I got fed up of men in blue and yellow rolling about on the ground- one such clutched his head only for the physio to apparently treat his ankle!

I worked it out that we would have around 15 minutes added time to take account of the constant theatricals.

County were frustrated by a fingertip punch out under pressure by Tzanev as Wright pumped a great ball over almost on 90 minutes.

Cue even more theatricals as Davison headed towards his bench with no one else anywhere near him, only to sink to his knees midway twixt the action and the bench. It wasted more time, frustrated County greatly no doubt but did not seem to unduly concern Mr Oldham although I will concede he did book a few Wimbledon players late on.

Then of course having looked at death`s door   Davison looked a man re-born as he was played clear. It was a chance for sure, but he fluffed it sending his shot wide.

Instead of 15 we got 7 added minutes and more frustration heaped on top of frustration- Madden unlucky late on to see Tzarev beat him to the bouncing ball a yard out.

County kept trying in what time that remained, but we all knew it was in vain, Wimbledon`s tactics had prevailed.

I do not want to say too much more about that performance just that we will need  to be good deal better on Tuesday at Crewe.

See you there then!

 

AFC Wimbledon line up:-

Tzanev, Brown, Woodyard, Fell, Davion, Chislett ( Currie 87), Al Hamadi ( Jannah 68), Pearce, Little, Biler, Kalambayi.

Subs not used: Broom,Gunter, Marsh, Robinson, Pearson.

 

Stockport County line up:-

Hinchliffe, Wright, Byrne, R Johnson, Knoyle, Rydel ( Mac Donald 68), Croasdale ( Madden 56), Collar, Hippolyte ( Stretton 56), Camps, Wootton.

Subs not used: Jaros, Evans, C Jennings, Lewis.

 

Attendance: 8511( 1162)

 

hedgegrower

 

Finally, some crowd shots from hedgegrower………

 

 

 

 

 

 

And one from Pete Tindall…………..