With a defeat but a decent performance now behind us from Burton, we took on Uncle Bulgaria and friends back at the SoL on a damp afternoon and in front of another big crowd. Only the one goal was scored, by stand-in fullback Winchester in the second half, but that was enough as Patterson had just the one save to make - although we did need to defend one when he missed a corner.
With Denver Hume still stalling on signing the contract offered to him (OK, rejecting it) we've brought in Niall Huggins from Leeds. He might only have one senior appearance to his name, but comes with glowing references and his arrival surely precipitates the departure of Hume - either to whichever club will match his wage demands or to join the ranks of the free agents. The policy of building a squad of young players with the right credentials might have taken longer to get off the ground than we'd like, but it's most definitely in place and bodes well for the future. I hope.
The starting eleven was:
Patterson
Winchester Doyle Flanagan Neil
O'Nien(c) Pritchard Embleton
Gooch Stewart McGeady
..at least, that was my guess as to how they'd line up. Mebbe O'9 would try being a left back....but he didn't.
Burge, Cirkin, Alves, Wright, O'Brien, Broadhead and Hawkes on the bench, and Patto's appearance perhaps a kick up the arse for Burge regarding his positioning....
They kicked off towards the North Stand, but we quickly forced a hoofed clearance from Wimbledon. A trademark Doyle 59 yard pass set Gooch off down the right, but the left-foot shot was scuffed when he cut inside, making it an easy one for their keeper.
Patto's clearance, which initially looked iffy, actually set up a decent move that ended with a pass threaded into the box from the left, but which was a yard too far forward -but Wimbledon broke forward to fire inches wide of our keeper's left post. O'9 took a return pass but his first touch went further than I've been in holiday this year - which isn't far, to be fair- and it went for a goal kick. After another attack broke down on 18 minutes, Gooch's tackle in the right-back position looked perfect to me, but the ref, who had a much worse view, gave a free which Flan headed clear. On 21 Gooch released Ross, who showed too much of the ball to his marker, but we won the game's first corner, on the right - which the keeper punched away. Stewart's header, from a left-wing cross, was hacked away with the keeper beaten, then Gooch raced into the box but his shot was also blocked. A nice spell of pressure, Lads, as Wimbledon had been knocking it about quite well for a while. Flan was penalised for being unable to make his leg vanish and an opponent running into him forty yards out, eventually being booked - as was LJ, presumably for stating the obvious (that the ref's incompetent). Another long one, from Flan to the left, allowed a cross that brought a corner...which we managed to turn into an offside. What a waste, Lads, as was 0'9's hoof to Stewart when the left side was the better option. Gooch did well to wait for a target for his cross, but Neil, arriving at the back post, headed firmly wide of the mark. He then did well to block a low cross at the expense of a corner on our left, but a visitor clearly held Winchester and the threat was gone. With three minutes to go to the break, Gooch's cross went for a corner on the right, but it hit the first defender and was cleared.
As two added minutes were announced, we won another corner after some crisp passing, and a goal looked in when Stewart bundled his way through the defence, but the keeper wasn't really troubled by the effort.
We ended the half with Geads collecting a long ball from Luke, but hitting his cross into the back of the Roker. That just about summed up the half - flashes of clever stuff occasionally interrupting an otherwise rather steady game...by which I mean that we could have done with Dan Neil in midfield to move the ball on quicker. The break was enlivened by a small child throwing a screaming tantrum in the executive box behind me. "Shurrup, or I'll bring yer next week!" Joking aside, the St John's were soon in attendance - let's hope it was nothing serious. No Sunderland changes for the second half, nor for Wimbledon, and we set things away, quickly conceding a free near the SW corner flag. We cleared that, O'9's persistence set Gooch away through the middle, and he rolled it into Stewart's path. The shot from the edge of the box brought a sprawling save from the keeper going down to his right. Geads tricked his way into the box and lifted it to the back post, where Luke flew in - and headed wide. We then spent a couple of minutes apparently unwilling to clear the ball before eventually breaking and getting it to Embo, who forced a great tip over from their keeper from distance - but we tried a short corner, which failed to produce a cross. Poor play, Sunderland. Some lovely one-twos down the left almost produced a chance for Pritchard before the ref gave a decision to Wimbledon that was clearly ours. We won the ball back only to fire inches wide of the keeper's left-hand post. Close, but no cigar - not that smoking bis allowed in the ground anyway. They made a change on the hour as Doyle bounced off their big 22 and needed a bit of treatment, then there was a booking for the Dons when someone hoofed Luke in our box. A bit of a duff corner by Geads on our left was headed clear, Winchester picked it up, and we invoked his inner Chris Makin by screaming SHOOOOT! Which he did, his effort taking a massive deflection to leave the keeper going the wrong way as it flew in. 1-0, 65 minutes, GERRINNNNN! His next effort also hit a defender, but this time was properly blocked, then Geads lost the ball turning inside, and Wimbledon brought on another big lad to add to their already impressive physical presence.
On 70 minutes, Broadhead replaced Geads, who'd been a bit erratic in the second half, and Cirkin replaced Pritch. That meant Neil could get into his natural position, and Embo went to the right with Gooch going to the left. We eventually cleared a long throw and broke down the right, almost creating a chance but winning a corner on the left. Embo swung it in, but it hit several pairs of yellow legs as we tried to force it over the line, eventually getting a corner on the other side - which was cleared. Stewart couldn't get the ball out of his feet to either shoot or pass, then when we did shoot it was high. Wimbledon's third sub, on 78, was actually a small feller, which was a surprise. Patterson then came out for a corner he was never going to reach, and we had to head it away from near the line as we endured a spell of Dons pressure. With nine to go, Wright replaced Embo, who'd had a fine game, to bolster our back line. With three left, O'9 put in a great tackle on halfway but seemed to pop his shoulder. Being a brave sort, he let the physio pop it back in, took a couple of paracetamol, and was back into the action. Four added minutes were announced, and we passed it around nicely to set Broadhead chasing down the right to win a throw. There was a standard Dave by Pato, diving to his right to take a header, and he set us away down the right, but we conceded a free thirty-odd yards out, and as we cleared that the whistle went.
A hard-fought win, but it's three points in the bag and that's what counts. Lots of possession which only produced the one goal, and we really should be getting more shots on. goal Man of the Match? Another good display from Flan, a good afternoon for Embo, but for me it's Winchester. Assured in defence, he made some telling passes - and scored that beaut.
