Dons Beat York To Win Away At Last
York 2 v Wimbledon 3
Two goals in as many minutes propelled Wimbledon to their first away league win since mid-August as they beat York City 3-2 on Saturday (13 December).
The Dons hadn’t claimed maximum points on their travels since a trip to Southend United, But that all changed courtesy of second-half strikes by Sean Rigg and Matt Tubbs.
The Dons took the lead with the first meaningful attack after 24 minutes, and it came in the simplest of fashions. George Francomb’s looping corner found the head of on-loan Millwall defender Jake Goodman, and he rose highest to head home and put the Dons 1-0 ahead.
That prompted a response from the home side and James Shea again did his growing reputation good. First the former Harrow keeper was in action to deny Russell Penn, but he followed that up with an even better stop to save a fierce Wes Fletcher effort, with Barry Fuller alert to deny Jake Hyde on the follow-up.
Lewis Montrose also spurned an opportunity for the home side, but Wimbledon had chances of their own. Tubbs almost deflected a Dannie Bulman drive into the back of the net, while Adebayo Akinfenwa headed wide a Francomb cross.
But the Dons’ half-time lead lasted just ten minutes into the second period before the home side were level. Diego De Girolama picked up a short corner, turned between two Wimbledon defenders and then unleashed a spectacular effort into the far corner to make it 1-1.
But then the Dons stepped into action with their quick-fire double blast.
First Akinfenwa did well by the corner flag to smuggle the ball back to the influential Francomb, and his cross into the box was met by Rigg who had eluded the York defence and was prodded home by Rigg.
Then Francomb was involved again, capitalising after the Dons regained possession by the corner flag and delivering a looping cross into the centre that went over the head of the back-pedalling Alex Cisak to where Tubbs was lurking to cleverly chest the ball home from close range. 3-1 to the Dons.
Although York pulled one back when Stephane Zubar scrambled home from close range with quarter of an hour remaining, there was still comparatively little for Shea to do beyond one save from Hyde as the Dons held on to claim all three points and jump to 13th in the table.
Manager Neal Ardley told BBC London 94.9: ‘We came out of the blocks and tried to stop them at source.
‘The shift the boys put in today was great. They were out on their feet. They were literally running on fumes there. They’ve done the club proud.’
The Dons entertain Mansfield Town on Saturday (20 December) before Boxing Day’s trip to Portsmouth.
York City: Cisak, Halliday, Lowe, Zubar, Ilesanmi, De Girolamo (Carson 92), Penn, Montrose, Coulson, Hyde, Fletcher (Morris 67). Subs not used: Mooney, McCoy, McCombe, Platt, Meikle.
Goalscorers: De Girolamo 55, Zubar 75.
Wimbledon: Shea, Fuller, Barrett, Goodman, Kennedy, Francomb (Azeez 80), Moore, Bulman (Pell 63), Rigg (Sutherland 80), Tubbs, Akinfenwa. Subs not used: Bennett, Oakley, McDonnell, Harrison.
Goalscorers: Goodman 24, Rigg 62, Tubbs 64.
Att: 3,245.
- Wimbledon's FA Cup Third Round tie at home to Liverpool, will be screened live on BBC1 (7.55pm KO) on Monday January 5.
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December 15, 2014
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