Dons' League Cup Woes Continue With Peterborough Defeat

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Peterborough 3 v Wimbledon 2

Wimbledon’s dismal record in the League Cup continued as they were again beaten in the first round, this time losing 3-2 at Peterborough United on Tuesday, 9 August.

The Dons have failed to progress beyond the first round since their return to the Football League in 2011, and once didn’t even make it that far before losing in a rare preliminary-round tie.

On this occasion the Dons looked guaranteed at least extra-time until in injury time Posh’s Tom Nichols struck his second goal of the game to send the Dons tumbling out again.

But it could have been so different as at one end of the pitch Wimbledon squandered enough chances to win the encounter, while at the other end they let in three goals from three attempts on target.

And they took the lead shortly after the half hour when Chris Whelpdale acute near-post header from a Dean Parrett corner had enough on it to beat Ben Alnwick.

The home side hit back with two goals in four second-half minutes. First Nichols got between Darius Charles and Paul Robinson to firmly head home a cross, then a tame-enough-looking free-kick into the goal areas caused Tom Beere no end of consternation and Paul Taylor capitalised to put his side ahead.

Wimbledon were unfortunate when Alnwick palmed Lyle Taylor’s low cross-cum-shoot into the path of Andy Barcham only for the winger hit the bar when he had the goal at his mercy.

With 12 minutes remaining the Dons pulled it back onto equal terms. Peterborough’s Callum Chettle was dispossessed on the edge of his own area by a combination of Jake Reeves and Tom Elliott, with the latter threading the ball through to Taylor who calmly made space for himself before slotting the ball home.

The Dons’ hopes were scuppered three minutes into injury when a Peterborough corner was headed towards goal and Nichols made no mistake from close range to snatch victory for the home side.

Peterborough: Alnwick, Hughes (Binnom-Williams 56), Bostwick, Baldwin, White, Maddison, Da Silva Lopes, Edwards, Forrester (Chettle 73), Taylor, Coulthirst (Nichols 56). Subs not used: Smith, Tyler, J. Anderson, Nabi.

Goalscorers: Nichols 64, 93, Taylor 68.

Booked: Forrester 23, Da Silva Lopes 37.

Wimbledon: Clarke, Fuller, Charles, Robinson, Kelly, Whelpdale (Beere 45), Parrett, Reeves, Barcham, Poleon (Elliott 69), Barnett (Taylor 69). Subs not used: Shea, Bulman, Nightingale, Fitzpatrick.

Goalscorers: Whelpdale 34, Taylor 78.

Booked: Fuller 67, Reeves 67.

Att: 2,850.

By Rob Crane

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August 16, 2016