Sunday 21 March 2021

AFC Wimbledon 2 v Charlton Athletic 2

On the face of it, Nigel Adkins would probably have taken a draw if it had been offered to him before the game. The Wombles may be battling relegation but our trajectory until very recently has also been relegation form. Unbeaten in five before yesterday, Adkins primary goal would have been to avoid defeat and keep the points accumulating. 

After twenty minutes and having retaken the lead, he would probably have been smiling to himself and looking forward to all three points. Millar and Jaiyesimi were carving lines through the Wimbledon defence. Millar had scored via Stockley's deft near post glance and set his fellow wide-man up for a routine stab home after picking him out in the box. At that point a third Addicks goal was very much on the cards. Jaiyesimi had come on as an early sub for Conor Washington who limped off with an injury (possible hamstring).

Sadly, it didn't come before the break and after it, Wimbledon took control of the game. Once again we retreated into our shell. It wasn't helped by the decision to sub both Millar and Jayesimi for Aneke and Schwartz which left us hopelessly narrow.

Wimbledon played some good stuff and once again Joe Piggott caught the eye with some superb touches and movement. Just as we looked to be settling after the hour, Nigel Adkins got to see up close and personal the sort of howling screamer that has bedevilled this season. Out coached obsession with playing the ball out from the back saw Amos roll it out less than ten yards to Famewo who was facing him. Famewo took a touch and then with Longman racing in towards him, he decided his best option was to stub it back to Amos. The ball rolled a yard towards Amos and Longman ran on and stroked it home. He had earlier brought the home team level after he swivelled in the box and hit a low cross shot that beat Amos and the covering centre-halves. 

All the best sides in the world play it out from the back. They do so with space and confidence, knowing that they are brilliantly drilled and that those ahead of them will be striving to find space in which to progress upfield. Our back five all season have been trying to do this religiously. They have become pretty adept and kicking it around between themselves but there is hardly ever anyone in space upfield to receive the ball. When we do play it forward, it's usually under much more pressure than Amos was in the first place and the next contact is a tackle or a header back towards us. This needs to be stopped because not only don't we have the midfielders to support it, but my god how depressing is it to watch? 

The only other talking point of the day was a bizarre apology by Thomas Sandgaard pre-match on Valley Pass to a supporter for something that apparently happened well in the past but which wasn't shared. Social Media took over and it quickly became clear that the apology may have been given without any detailed investigation and perhaps primarily to draw under a line under his incessant complaining. It appears to have offended far more people who feel at least as strongly as the individual concerned that an apology was inappropriate given the person's initial behaviour. We really do have some strange fans.

1 comment:

  1. Almost predictably, 16 posts from John West! All deleted to save him from further ridicule.

    ReplyDelete

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