Dons Draw Another Blank With Posh Stalemate
Wimbledon 0 v Peterborough 0
Wimbledon played out their second 0-0 draw of the Easter weekend as they drew with Peterborough at Kingsmeadow on Easter Monday.
The result means that the Dons have now failed to score in their last four matches, and boss Neal Ardley was bemoaning their form in front of goal afterwards.
“We are lacking in the final third at the moment,” he said in a DonsPlayer interview. “We are trying to get in there and produce that little moment or bit of quality.
“The small margins make a difference, but I look at the effort the boys put in against a good Peterborough side and they put in a really good shift.”
The Dons started this match with 17-year-old Toby Sibbick given a debut at right back, with George Francomb pushed further forward into midfield. The youngster acquitted himself well to the demands of League One football.
But it was the visitors who started brightly – literally in their dayglo yellow kit – with Marcus Maddison firing an early long-range free kick onto the roof of the net.
A later Maddison effort after his initial free-kick was blocked was also well gathered by Joe McDonnell, who had retained his starting place in goal.
It wasn’t until shortly before the break that the Dons fashioned a few chances of their own, both courtesy of Lyle Taylor crosses.
First the striker crossed to Tyrone Barnett, whose header was too close to Peterborough goalkeeper Luke McGee. The second went even closer to breaking the deadlock as it fell to Francomb at the far post but his downward header hit the woodwork and bounced behind for a goal kick.
Early second-half chances for Wimbledon saw Barnett head straight at McGee and Taylor fire into the side netting as the Dons attempted to make the breakthrough.
Although McDonnell had to be alert to gather an effort from Leonardo Da Silva Lopes, it was the Dons who came closest in the second period, just five minutes before the end. Substitute Dean Parrett delivered a perfect corner that was met by a firm Paul Robinson header, but it was narrowly above the crossbar.
Wimbledon have a tough task to rediscover their goalscoring form when they visit Bradford City on Saturday 22 April – the Yorkshire side are unbeaten at home all season.
The Dons then round off their season with a home fixture against Oldham Athletic, kicking off at midday on Sunday 30 April.
Wimbledon: McDonnell, Sibbick, Charles, Robinson, Kelly, Francomb (Bulman 80), Reeves, Soares, Barcham (Parrett 75), Taylor, Barnett (Poleon 72). Subs not used: Nightingale, Fitzpatrick, Egan, Bursik.
Booked: Kelly 21, Robinson 43, Reeves 74.
Peterborough: McGee, Smith, Bostwick, Hughes, Freestone, Forrester, Chettle (Taylor 80), Da Silva Lopes, Maddison, Mackail-Smith (Morias 67), Nichols. Subs not used: Tyler, Inman, Binnom-Williams, Borg, Grant.
Att: 4,294.
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April 18, 2017
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