AFC Wimbledon 1-1 Gillingham
Sky Bet League One
Tuesday 17th August 2021
Sometimes in football you don't always get the result you deserve from a particular game and that's exactly what happened here as Gillingham somehow salvaged a point against AFC Wimbledon.
The Dons were by miles the better team, mixed up their style of play effectively to pose all kinds of problems and dominated pretty much the entire game. Had they took just a fraction of the opportunities that they created, it could easily have been a straightforward 3-0 win - as it was all their efforts were undone courtesy of Paul Kalumbayi's unfortunate 97th minute own goal.
Steve Evans was gracious as ever in the aftermath - waddling onto the pitch before fist-pumping towards the Wimbledon fans in celebrating the equaliser which preceded him sticking his tongue out when he ventured down the tunnel after the final whistle. Aside from the result, he can't have been happy at an overall performance which was largely dreadful and just consisted of his players' shape being pierced time and again, along with booting the ball (quite aimlessly more often than not) up the pitch in the general direction of Vadaine Oliver who was expected to do three or four jobs with minimal support.
The visitors created next to nothing and, though the equaliser acted as a massive shot in the arm given that they won their next game against Morecambe, based on this display they've got problems which need imminently addressing otherwise it will be a tough season and they'll do well to avoid a relegation battle. Furthermore, the telling manner in which Evans turned round and looked up towards his chairman, Paul Scally, in the directors box during the closing moments, almost as if he was seeking approval for the result, hinted at a man who is under pressure.
Will Evans still be in charge by the end of this season? I have my doubts - especially if performances don't improve substantially!
For Wimbledon, the dramatic finale denied them of a first win at the new Plough Lane infront of their supporters. With a 9,000+ capacity, the ground has quite a 'tinny' feel about it and is sandwiched between a new-build block of flats and an industrial estate. There doesn't appear to be an awful lot of room for maneuver or further development though, apparently, the capacity can be further increased if the demand is ever there for it to be needed. I can't see how though!
The Main Stand where I was situated is the biggest stand with about 20 rows and incorporates the press facilities whilst the directors box (and presumably hospitality guests/sponsors seats) is in the tier above. Access to this stand is in the far corner which led to a bottleneck queue at the final whistle when everyone was leaving. The other three stands are connected as the corners have been filled with seats, but there remains a distinct 'mechano style' appearance and it looks a bit cheap, cheerful and as if it's not a 'permanent' solution. There are only 11 rows in the other stands so elevation won't be the best - something to bare in mind if you happen to be an away supporter reading this who has yet to visit Plough Lane.
Nevertheless, the new stadium (even with its perceived faults) meets what Wimbledon need right now. They're playing back at 'home' and it's a damn sight better than Kingsmeadow! A bit more signage around the neighbourhood will help as I ended up walking back to Wimbledon Railway station afterwards despite Wimbledon Park Tube Station being much closer, but I'm sure that will come in good time.
On the pitch, having seen Wimbledon win at Doncaster Rovers on the opening day and then perform well in this encounter, I'd be confident of them having a good season in League One and they could even be 'dark horses' to challenge for a top six spot.
They have a number of good and creative players in Ayoub Assal, Alex Woodyard and Dapo Mebude and even Ollie Palmer (nowadays a quite different player to when I first saw him in his early days at Mansfield Town) has proved to be a useful component in their style and attacking threat.
Barring an early Oliver chance which was unorthodoxly kept out by Dons 'keeper Nik Tzanev, Gillingham offered nothing until a 10-minute spell of pressure leading up to the interval during which they retained the ball a lot better than previously, pushed the hosts back, and looked a threat with Olly Lee also producing a good reaction save from Tzanev.
Wimbledon though were much the better team in possession and territory stakes during the first 45 minutes and managed to create enough openings to get both Evans and his assistant Paul Raynor barking angrily at their own players from inside Gillingham's technical area. Mebude was particularly dangerous and having earlier been brought down on the edge of the box which resulted in a free-kick that came to nothing, he also flashed a shot wide of the target from a similar distance. Assal, Aaron Pressley and Henry Lawrence then all combined in the Dons' best attack which brought about a great save from Gills 'keeper Jamie Cumming.
The second half was similarly one-way traffic as Wimbledon searched for a breakthrough against opponents who seemed to want to sit back, soak up pressure which eventually became more intense, and try and snatch something on the counter-attack.
A triple change saw Palmer, Ethan Chislett and Luke McCormick thrust into the action and that coincided with the hosts adopting a more direct approach - aiming to use Palmer's height to their advantage. Still, however, they couldn't quite get that final ball right despite getting into some promising positions before a game-changing moment occurred when David Tutonda took down Lawrence and was correctly shown a straight red card.
Only one team looked capable of taking the points from this stage onwards and Wimbledon began to throw the proverbial 'kitchen sink' at Gillingham in an effort to beat the clock and make a breakthrough. Chislett fired straight at Cumming having been slipped clean through on goal by Woodyard.
The goal that the Dons craved finally arrived on 86 minutes. George Marsh released McCormick with a good ball out towards the left flank and the substitute's delivery found a rising Palmer who placed his bullet-header beyond Cumming and into the net, thus sending the home fans directly behind the goal into absolute raptures. It was a long-awaited breakthrough but a thoroughly deserved one!
Nevertheless, Gillingham's stifling tactics throughout the second half contributed to six minutes of injury-time and in the seventh of those (it really was that late!) disaster struck as the visitors somehow found an equaliser. A pumped ball forward was initially knocked away but the ball dropped towards Harvey Linnott's whose shot took a wild deflection off Kalumbayi which caused it to loop upwards and over Tzanev and into the net to make it 1-1.
The travelling Gills fans behind the goal could hardly contain their delight as some individuals spilled over onto the pitch to celebrate with their players. Evans was fist-pumping and being the party clown which he's renowned for, knowing fine well he'd used a 'Get out of jail free card' to get a decent result, with everyone else in Plough Lane crestfallen by this absolute sucker-punch.
Given his antics and how he behaved on the touchline in this game, it didn't come as a surprise to see two days later on the Sky Sports News ticker tape that Evans had received a one-match touchline ban from incidents in another game already this season. Even more recently, him and his assistant have been caught up in a scuffle at Shrewsbury Town - a game which ended in a defeat for his team.
The clock is ticking...
