Taylor's Penalty Miss Sees Swindon Held By Wimbledon
Wimbledon 0 v Swindon Town 0
Lyle Taylor saw his first-half penalty saved as Wimbledon left their shooting boots at home on Saturday (15 October), drawing a blank against Swindon Town.
The Dons enjoyed plenty of possession outside the box but failed to create many clear-cut opportunities as their intricately-passing opponents fell victim of the same curse.
Afterwards boss Neal Ardley told the club website: ‘Without the ball I thought we retained our shape quite well and limited them to not much. Down the other end we wanted to hurt them with our penetration but our crossing was poor.
‘We have to give credit to Swindon. They did their homework on us and they did their jobs well. We nullified us and we nullified them. In the end it was a pretty tepid game, but it’s a point towards where we want to go.’
It could have been three had Taylor capitalised on the clearest opportunity of the match after Tom Elliott was sent sprawling in the box by Conor Thomas and the referee pointed to the spot, despite sustained Swindon protests.
Taylor’s shot might not have been perfectly placed but visiting keeper Lawrence Vigouroux dived low to his right and at full stretch palmed the ball around the post to keep his side in it.
The Dons had started this match at full pace, with Taylor shooting wide early on and then sending over a cross that Vigouroux did well to hold.
But slowly Swindon came into the game, even if the majority of their possession was in their own half as they exchanged passes between defenders and goalkeeper. When they did attack, Darnell Furlong shot over the bar and then John Goddard shot wide.
Shortly after the half hour came Taylor’s missed spot kick, and Swindon nearly capitalised by taking the lead soon afterwards only for Yaser Kasim to shoot straight into the arms of a grateful James Shea.
And the visitors also created two clear-cut chances in the second half, first when Furlong’s cross-cum-shot travelled across the face of goal with nobody able to get a touch, and then when Conor Thomas poked an effort centimetres wide of goal when it was at his mercy from close range.
The Dons looked to force a winner by bringing on Dom Poleon and Tyrone Barnett up front with 20 minutes remaining, and the latter had the ball in the back of the net only to see it ruled out for offside.
The stalemate means that the Dons have now lost just once in 12 matches in all competitions, although two of those where in the Checkatrade Trophy.
Ardley’s men will be hoping to extend that run when they visit Bury on Tuesday night (18 October), before travelling to Peterborough United on Saturday 22 October. They will also play at Bury in the first round of the FA Cup on Saturday 5 November.
Wimbledon: Shea, Fuller, Charles, Robinson, Meades, Parrett, Reeves, Bulman, Barcham (Whelpdale 80), Elliott (Poleon 69), Taylor (Barnett 70). Subs not used: Nightingale, McDonnell, Egan, Robertson.
Booked: Robinson 30, Parrett 62, Bulman 68, Charles 91.
Swindon: Vigouroux, Furlong, C. Thomas, Thompson, Brophy, Kasim, Rodgers, Iandolo (Barry 83), Goddard, Murray, Delfouneso (Norris 66). Subs not used: Henry, Smith, Evans, Ouldridge, Twine.
Booked: Kasim 32, C. Thomas 69, Thompson 79, Vigouroux 89.
Att: 4,800.
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October 18, 2016
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