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The latest round-up from supporter-owned AFC Wimbledon. Written by Martin Allen-Smith (and does not necessarily reflect the views of AFC Wimbledon)
AFC Wimbledon remain unbeaten having notched up a 77-match league run with Saturday's 2-0 win over Dulwich Hamlet. By all accounts, it seems to have relieved the pressure all round which seemed to have been playing on the minds of manager, players and supporters alike.
Now that matter of the league record has been settled (and much media coverage won thanks to Sky, the Daily Mail, Sun, Guardian among others), attention can once again focus on promotion - in itself something many supporters had not expected to be on the cards in what could reasonably have been expected to be a year of consolidation.
Saturday's game also saw the visit of a large group of Luton Town fans who couldn't stomach the thought of travelling to Milton Keynes to see their team's away match against the franchise. They hired a coach and made a very public show of support for what Wimbledon fans have done and, more importantly, demonstrated how much contempt they have for the principle of football franchising. Even those that did attend their own team's match demonstrated outside the ground before kick-off to make their views known.
An added bonus of course was that the franchise maintained its consistent form - a 4-1 defeat left them second from bottom and cruising towards a second successive relegation. Whilst that may not be surprising, what took many by surprise was the barefaced cheek of Milton Keynes Dons Supporters Association who applied to Supporters Direct to set up a supporters trust.
The absurd prospect of supporters of a franchise being allowed to do this would, as the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association (WISA) quite rightly points out, damage the integrity of the Trust movement and fly in the face of everything the football community stands for.
On the pitch for the real dons are struggling to convert the many chances they are creating. Rob Ursell remains the outstanding presence in midfield, with Richard Butler being idolised up front despite (IMO) his sometimes Jeckyll & Hyde performances. In fairness though, it is hard to pick out one or two players at the moment as the teams form as a whole is superb.
So now that the English unbeaten record, has been achieved, perhaps it's time to aim for the world record run - 109 matches! Well, I can dream can't I?!
NEXT UPDATE - the mid-season report
The latest round-up from supporter-owned AFC Wimbledon. Written by Martin Allen-Smith (and does not necessarily reflect the views of AFC Wimbledon)
Make no mistake about it, Wimbledon fans have been spoilt over the last year and a half. Unbeaten in the league in 73 matches, we haven’t tasted league defeat since February 2003 when Withdean 2000 were deserved victors.
It’s all a far cry from the old days of following the Dons in the Premier League. Then, survival was the aim, although we managed that fairly comfortably until that fateful year when the invasion of the Norweigians ended with our relegation.
Last Saturday, AFC Wimbledon travelled to play the Metropolitan Police – a top-of-the-table clash – that ended in a 1-1 draw. It was a good result all round really, partly because it helped to dampen down some of the increasingly high expectations many of our supporters now have of the team. When you take a step back and consider that last year we were a division lower, and three years ago we didn’t even exist, I think being 6 points clear at the top of the table after 11 games is a magnificent achievement.
The FA Cup defeat to Thurrock a couple of weeks ago highlighted that we still have a long way to go. In many ways, the Dons matched their visitors on that occasion, but Thurrock were bigger, stronger, smarter and that bit too canny for us. It’s all part of the learning curve and will stand us in good stead.
Meanwhile, off the pitch, although bitterness is not a trait any of us are proud of, it is marvellous to see Franchise FC struggling in the football league Division One. That the club continues to plumb new depths sends out a fitting message that football franchising must not be allowed to work.
Yet again, AFC Wimbledon fans are grateful for the support that we receive from supporters of other clubs. Most recent to make their point against football franchising were Brentford fans, who displayed red cards during their match against Milton Keynes.
Even more impressive is to come next month. Luton Town fans, who cannot stomach the short trip to see their team at Milton Keynes, are booking up to travel by coach to cross London to see AFC Wimbledon v Dulwich Hamlet instead. They’ll be sure of a fine reception upon arrival, as was the case when fans of Brighton, Watford, Norwich and many others decided to boycott football franchising – even though it meant missing out on seeing their own team play.
Next up for the Dons however, is a home game with Tooting & Mitcham United. For those unfamiliar with sprawling South London’s geography, Tooting are pretty much the closest of our rivals. Among our more seasoned supporters, there are also plenty of memories of local derbies between the two sides over the years the last time we did this non-league thing.
But one thing is certain - as a fan who has seen Wimbledon play at Anfield, Old Trafford, Highbury and the rest, I can tell you that three points from this match will mean every bit as much as any of those!
NEXT UPDATE – the latest on Milton Keynes Dons Supporters Association attempt to set up its own supporters trust. You couldn’t make it up!
The unbeaten run for Wimbledon continued to 73 games unbeaten with a 1-1 draw away to the Polis.
Apparently, they dominated the match but had to settle for the draw, it's only the second time they've dropped points all season long. Rob Howarth opened the scoring for the Met on 40 minutes, but Ryan Gray equalised on 59 minutes.
Next up for Wimbledon is a cup game at home to Flackwell Heath in the Bryco Cup, whatever the hell that is.
The Dons bowed out of the FA Cup Qualifiers to Conference South side Thurrock.
A little over 3000 spectators saw a game where AFC Wimbledon had most of the posession, but were unable to capitalise with it. Thurrock's rare counter-attacks into the Dons penalty box resulted in the 2 goals they needed, and this higher-league side progress to the fourth qualifying round and not AFC Wimbledon.
The impressive front 2 strikers and solid defence was more than a match for the Dons, but it wasn't exactly a walk in the park for Thurrock. They're a team 2 leagues above AFC Wimbledon, yet at times were under intense pressure from the Dons and did well to deny any goals.
Next up for AFC Wimbledon is a league match against Metropolitan Police, who they just defeated in their match before this one 2-0 in the FA Trophy. This time around, though, there's league points up for grabs and an impressive 72 league match unbeaten run to maintain. Remember, the current British record stands at 75 matches, set by St Blazey. C'mon the Dons!
The Dons bowed out of the FA Cup Qualifiers to Conference South side Thurrock.
A little over 3000 spectators saw a game where AFC Wimbledon had most of the posession, but were unable to capitalise with it. Thurrock's rare counter-attacks into the Dons penalty box resulted in the 2 goals they needed, and this higher-league side progress to the fourth qualifying round and not AFC Wimbledon.
The impressive front 2 strikers and solid defence was more than a match for the Dons, but it wasn't exactly a walk in the park for Thurrock. They're a team 2 leagues above AFC Wimbledon, yet at times were under intense pressure from the Dons and did well to deny any goals.
Next up for AFC Wimbledon is a league match against Metropolitan Police, who they just defeated in their match before this one 2-0 in the FA Trophy. This time around, though, there's league points up for grabs and an impressive 72 league match unbeaten run to maintain. Remember, the current British record stands at 75 matches, set by St Blazey. C'mon the Dons!
AFC Wimbledon won 2-0 against the Polis through an own goal and a late settler.
Here's the surprising thing: Ursell didnae score! He wis more creative today, instead of banging a shot into the top corner. Still, it's one of the first times I've seen him NOT on the scoresheet.
Anyway, the own goal wis from Stuart Makenzie, and Chris Gell settled it in injury time to send the Dons through for a trip to Hendon.
Next up for the Dons is the 3rd round of the FA Cup (3rd round of qualifiers) against Thurrock, 3pm kick-off.
Jings, Robert Ursell ran rampant, grabbing a hat-trick to put Wimbledon through to the next stage of the FA Cup Qualifiying round.
Their opponents were described as "dirty b*****ds". Ach well, next up is the 3rd qualifiying round of the FA Cup, that means their league game is postponed. Sorry for lack of info, very busy with other things on my site. But hey, now you know a couple of things:
Next up for the Dons is a tie against the Metropolitan Police, in the FA Trophy. That'll be played October 9th 2004, same day as the England-Wales International. It'll be played at 1pm.
The Dons cruised past Corinthian Casuals to maintain their incredible 72-match unbeaten run, and only lie 4 games away from breaking the British record for games played without defeat, which currently stands at 75 matches, set by St Blazey.
So it's 10 games played, 9 victories and 1 draw. They're sitting 6 points clear of 2nd place Metropolitan Police, and hopes are high that AFC Wimbledon will be record breakers this time next month.
As for the match itself, it wasn't the best Dons performance, but winning 3-0 should give you no reason to really complain. The match itself started out tight, with Corinthians having some good chances.
Wimbledon minds, though, were set at ease when 2 goals in 2 minutes saw them suddenly look dead certs to win. Robert Ursell, a regular on the scoresheet, got the first goal when his shot came out for a rebound, which he cheekily chipped over the goalkeeper on 35 minutes.
And while the Dons fans were celebrating this goal, Richard Butler made it 2-0 with a fine left-footed strike from the edge of the box.
Just before half time, Jay Conray (on loan from the mighty Crystal Palace) was booked for delaying the start of play. But at half time, the scoreline stood at:
CORINTHIAN CASUALS 0-2 AFC WIMBLEDON
Feck all really happened in the second half, Corinthians tried to catch out the Dons with a formation change, but AFC just adapted to the change well, before Ursell scored again after rounding the Casuals goalkeeper and slotting it home after 72 minutes.
Casuals couldn't keep up with AFC Wimbledon, so instead they attacked the ref! Waghorn was booked for a collision with the man in the middle, and he was lucky not to be sent off for such an atrocious act of malice! How DARE he bump into the ref!!!
As time ran out, the Dons just passed it around and kept it in the opposition's half, by the corner flags. The usual time-wasting tricks worked, and the ref blew for full time. The score at the end of the match was:
CORINTHIAN CASUALS 0-3 AFC WIMBLEDON
Who's next for AFC Wimbledon?!?
The Dons don't have a league match for a few weeks, but they DO have a big game coming up on Saturday. It's FA Cup time, they're away to Dunstable Town. A big support will make it to cheer on Wimbledon, and they'll be hoping for yet another victory.
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