Match report
Danny Kedwell scored the only goal of the game to secure AFC Wimbledon a fully deserved victory at Aggborough. The dominant Dons could have won by a greater margin, but a solid defensive display ensured that the result, which moves Terry Brown’s side back in contention for a playoff place, was rarely in doubt.
Brown made just one change to the eleven that started Tuesday’s victory over Ebbsfleet, with Will Hendry making his debut in place of Jon Main. Hendry, signed on loan from Dagenham & Redbridge until the end of December, has been charged with adding goalscoring beef to the Dons midfield, and started at the attacking point of a midfield four behind Kedwell and Luke Moore up front. But it was his tenacious tackling that led to the Dons’ winning goal in the 20th minute.
After a tight opening period, Hendry won possession on the halfway line and moved the ball to Ricky Wellard, whose perfectly weighted through-pass sent Kedwell away, one on one with Dean Coleman in the home goal. Kedwell sidestepped the keeper before slotting the ball into the empty net from an acute angle to register his 14th league goal of the season.
The Dons put no further serious pressure on the home goal for the remainder of the first half. However, they determinedly kept their shape, and reduced Kidderminster to hitting long balls towards debutant Damian Spencer and strike partner Robbie Matthews, who came out second-best in their aerial duel with Ben Judge and Paul Lorraine. Spencer got the better of them on just one occasion, but having latched onto the knock-down, winger Brian Smikle fired his shot straight at Seb Brown, forcing the Dons’ young keeper into making his first and only save of the first 45 minutes.
The only negative aspect for Terry Brown to deal with during the first half was an injury to Moore, who was replaced by Main just a couple of minutes before the break. However, the change didn’t knock the visitors off their stride, as Main was a constant threat in the second half, leading the counterattacking charge as the home side continued to falter in their attempts to break through Wimbledon’s solid defence. Main’s clever link play, allied with the fine passing and forward running of Kedwell, Hendry, Wellard and Steven Gregory, should have produced more goals, but a mixture of poor finishing and last-ditch defending kept Kidderminster in the game.
The Harriers, though, failed to fashion any clear-cut chances of their own. A succession of corner kicks midway through the half gave them their best chance to threaten the Dons goal, but despite deliveries of real quality into the box, Brown was not troubled. It has to be said that Wimbledon’s defending of set pieces has vastly improved since promotion and, having dealt with that threat, the Dons comfortably saw out the remainder of the game.
The result reversed Kidderminster’s win at Kingsmeadow in October, in which Matthew Barnes-Homer netted the only goal. His departure to Luton in the week could be used to excuse the home side’s lacklustre display, but to do so would be unfair on the Dons, whose commitment and discipline were rewarded with one of their finest victories of the season so far.
Hendry’s strong tackling and willingness to get into the box highlighted an encouraging debut, but the Dons’ sixth three-point haul on the road was earned as a result of a real team effort that delighted the 400 fans who made the trip. |
36) Robbie Matthews