MATCH REPORT: Wimbledon

It was a first visit to the revamped Plough Lane for the Blues on Saturday afternoon with manager Paul Simpson having been guest of honour at a forum hosted by the London Branch in central London the night before.

There were two changes from the team that faced Harrogate last weekend with Joe Garner and Joel Senior in for John-Kymani Gordon and Ben Barclay.

There was nothing between the sides through the opening 10 minutes, but the Dons broke through when Jaiesimi won a tussle with Senior for the ball in the midfield area. Brown was on the overlap and his drilled delivery was stopped by Feeney on his chest. Loud appeals for handball were ignored.

A foul on Gibson by Little 35-yards out gave the red shirts an opportunity to get forward, and the man who was felled opted to go for the target. It had the power, but it was always too high.

Gibson was gifted a volleying chance from distance on 25 minutes when a misplaced pass from Chislett bounced his way. He caught it cleanly but this time it didn't have quite enough to test Tzanev between the sticks.

Moxon floated a deep free kick towards the back post moments later and Feeney muscled his way onto it. A dipping header had to be nodded clear by Pearce before it could trouble the nets.

The Dons broke at pace and Brown and Jaiesimi combined to win a corner. Holy felt he came under unfair pressure as he scooped the ball away from beneath his bar when it was sent long. The big stopper had the last laugh as he raced off his line to punch the second delivery towards the halfway line.

Good work from Dennis and Mellish brought a corner for the visitors at the other end, and a wonderful whipped inswinger from Moxon was met by the neatest of glances by Kris Dennis. A sharp reactive save from Tzanev prevented it from crossing the line.

United stayed forward and Moxon fed a sweeping pass to Guy outside the centre circle. The Cumbrians were thwarted as things slowed down on the edge of the area.

In a period where the game started to open up a rasper of a cross from Brown had Pearce interested. He stretched to get his head there but he was a whisker away from making the connection.

There was pressure on the Carlisle box ahead of the break as crosses came in from left and right, but the defensive wall stood strong to keep it at bay.

The away team responded with a quick move down the right, sparked by a dinked pass from Guy. Senior raced on and kept it low, but it was stopped by Little before Dennis coud get a touch. Moxon took over, but another exchange of passes came to nothing as they ran out of space.

United almost took the lead deep into time added for the half when Moxon found Garner with a great set piece. The striker met it with a downward header but it fell the wrong side of the upright.

Holy had to watch a snapshot from Chislett into his hands from the edge of the area after the ball was given away by Moxon during what was a lively start to the second period.

A stepover and a clipped cross from Gibson announced Carlisle's arrival in the half, but a header from Armer was too close to Tzanev.

The ball then came to Armer and Mellish on the left flank, and they used Moxon to create more space. He rattled it to Garner, but a touch off the outside of the boot from him was too far in front of Dennis.

There were moments for both teams that didn't quite come to fruition, as the final pass went too long or too short.

United almost unpicked the lock on 70 minutes when Gordon controlled a high ball forward from Mellish. He trapped it, then stepped inside his man. Gibson sprinted onwards to clip it into the box, and his cut back appeared to have found Dennis. The striker had his back to goal, and he was left with his head in his hands as it bobbled off his toe. 

Carlisle looked the more likely heading into the final 15 minutes, and they almost did it again when a Moxon corner was cleared from the near post. It was recycled, and Feeney headed it back towards Huntington on the penalty spot. The defender hooked his boot round it but it took a deflection as it went over the bar.

Another dangerous centred ball was cleared only as far as Armer, who put Moxon into a good position. He went deep, and it eventually fell for Guy to strike. Tzanev went full length and got both hands to it to beat it away.

Lovely, slick, neat football from Patrick and Moxon resulted in a slipped through ball for Gibson, who popped up deep inside the area. The angle was tight and a defender got a touch, which took the sting out of it and made it easy for the stopper. 

Senior stopped Janneh when he broke clear late in the day, and Moxon got in the way of the Brown follow up when he tried a scissored volley.

The home crowd were suddenly up for it and there was more defending to do when Janneh once again pulled off a shoulder. Feeney got the block this time.

More good football, this time with Gibson and Moxon doing the leg work, left Armer in space in time added on. The left back cut it back but Gordon's effort was smothered.

Wimbledon broke and Davison somehow scopped over from close range just as it looked like he was going to nick the winner, and that was that as it ended all-square.

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Bookings

AFC Wimbledon - Kalambayi (45)

Carlisle United - Moxon (20), Huntington (45)

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Teams

AFC Wimbledon - Tzanev, Gunter, Brown, Woodyard (c), Pell (Ali Al-Hamadi 62), Davison, Jaiesimi (Janneh 62), Chislett (McAteer 85), Pearce, Little, Kalambayi. Subs - Broome (gk), Marsh, Pierre, Currie.

Carlisle United - Holy, Huntington, Feeney (c), Mellish, Senior, Gibson, Guy, Moxon, Armer, Dennis (Patrick 75), Garner (Gordon 63). Subs - Kelly (gk), Whelan, Devitt, Robinson, McCalmont.

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Match officials

Referee - Darren Handley
Assistant Referee 1 - Scott Williams
Assistant Referee 2 - Nicholas Cooper
Fourth Official - James Vallance
Observer - David Phillips

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Attendance - 7,876 (1,024)

Read Time: 6 mins