Battered by Barnsley one week, giant killers the next - AFC Wimbledon
Last weekend I saw AFC Wimbledon completely outclassed by Barnsley at Kingsmeadow, a result (4-1) not unexpected or particularly surprising given current form and the fact that they sit eight points from safety at the foot of League One. On Saturday night however they lifted their game several levels to shock a more than capable West Ham team. But does this give them any glimmer of hope for survival?
Disjointed - Against Barnsley they looked firmly out of their depth at this level. Playing a team who have spent the past couple of seasons yo-yo’ing between the Championship and League One they could be forgiven for this, but the performance fell short even of that. Painfully disjointed, resorting to rudimentary long balls from the get-go, Wimbledon never looked like they could gain any control of the game. In a short spell before half-time in which they grabbed a goal via a set piece that evaded everyone bar the slightest of touches, they lacked any composure in front of goal with striker Jake Jervis guilty of a dreadful miss.
Transformed - Come Saturday though and they were suddenly bullying and dominating a Premier League team. Gone were the guileless punts forward, replaced with incisive passes forward and in behind an experienced West Ham defence. Perhaps most dramatically, the team that looked bereft of confidence facing Barnsley were coolly composed and clinical in front of goal. Even with nerves jangling and West Ham pushing hard having struck back twice to make it 3-2, Wimbledon remained positive and 19-year old Toby Sibbick appeared at the far post to head in a wonderful cross for the clincher.
Hope? - It’s going to take Wimbledon to improve significantly and consistently for the rest of the season to have any chance of staying up now. They can clearly play to a far higher level than they have been doing so far this season and, whilst buoyed by an intense crowd and the challenge of top-level opposition, Wally Downes will hope they can do so in some big games ahead. His approach going forward must surely be to trust in his players’ ability and look to take games to their opponents. Can they, as the pressure mounts, recreate Saturday’s heroics?Â