Blues escape Kingsmeadow with a point

AFC Wimbledon 2 Wycombe Wanderers 2

Matt McClure came off the bench to earn Wycombe a point they didn't deserve on the balance of play.

The Blues started well, playing the ball to feet, grabbing an early goal and looking capable of more.

But when a defensive lapse led to the Dons' equaliser and Jo Kuffour missed an absolute sitter just moments later, the pattern of the game completely changed.

From then on it was Wimbledon who looked a threat every time they came forward while the Blues resorted to long hopeful clearances upfield.

The Dons deservedly took the lead before half time and continued to dominate after the break.

It was only when manager Gareth Ainsworth made a double substitution after 66 minutes that Wycombe came back into the game, scored the crucial equaliser, and gave as good as they got for the final twenty minutes.

Joel Grant had already had a shot saved before the Blues took the lead through Kuffour after only 8 minutes.

Dean Morgan was the creator, winning possession before bursting down the right and finding Kuffour who turned and shot, the ball taking a deflection and hitting the post on its way into the back of the net.

The euphoria was short-lived as young defender Kortney Hause failed to effectively deal with a through ball and from the resulting corner Dons' West Ham loanee Paul McCallum lashed home the equaliser.

Almost immediately Kuffour found himself with only Sullivan to beat, but as the visiting fans prepared to celebrate, the Blues' striker could only trickle a poor effort into the grateful keeper's hands.

The Dons took over, and McCallum proved to be a real handful. One minute he flashed a shot against the woodwork and shortly afterwards he took advantage of a mix up between Hause and Archer only to fire his shot into the side netting.

Wimbledon's and McCallum's second goal of the game arrived 4 minutes before half time when Long fed him the ball inside the box and he turned on a sixpence to rifle a low shot into the net past Archer.

Joel Grant screwed two shots wide of the target as the first half came to a close.

Early in the second half Wycombe survived some concerted pressure, with a goalmouth scramble quickly followed by Archer making a superb save and tipping McCallum's powerful header over the bar.

The Dons kept the pressure up and Long fired wide before Meades saw his shot gathered at the near post by Archer.

Things had to change if Wycombe were to rescue something from the game and it was no surprise when Grant and Kuffour were replaced by Andrade and McClure after 66 minutes.

The Blues immediately perked up. Since scoring the opener, Kuffour had been disappointing and Grant had been invisible after the break whereas Andrade was a threat each time he got the ball.

Dean Morgan also failed to reach his usual high standard, and it was the below-par contribution of Wycombe's three flair players that blunted the quality of today's team performance.

That and the fact that the Dons seemed to be first to every loose ball, something that Wycombe have improved upon in recent months but which was lacking this afternoon.

Nevertheless, they were able to rescue a point thanks to McClure who lashed home the equaliser after Dave Winfield had nodded down a Morgan free kick.

If the 764 Wycombe fans were hoping for a sparkling performance to exorcise the demons of their horrific display against the Dons in September, they had to be content with a point instead.

Line up & ratings
Archer (7), Harriman (6), Winfield (6), Hause (5), Dunne (6), Grant (5) (Andrade 66 (6)), Lewis 6, Scowen 6, Wood 7*, Morgan 5, Kuffour 5 (McClure 66 (6))

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