AFC Wimbledon v Spurs Reserves & Youth Match Reports

Having most of the possession in the first half, Wimbledon went ahead in the 34th minute when Gavin Bolger’s low shot came off Gavin Kelly, who was unable to see the shot with players in front of him and it flew up into the net.  Ronnie Henry cleared off the goal-line and Alton Thelwell produced a good block to keep the score to a single goal before half-time.

In the second half, Steven Ferguson brought a good save out of Berni in the Wimbledon goal and Spurs keeper Gavin Kelly made a sine save from a Neil Jenkins free-kick, but the Dons rounded off a 2-0 win with a Adam Nowland goal on 63 minutes when he was put through on goal.

Teams
Wimbledon –  Tommaso Berni, Mikele Leigertwood, Alan Kimble, Ian Selley, Mark Williams (Sam Okikiolu 65), Chris Willmott (Rob Gier 46), Lionel Ainsworth, Gavin Bolger, Jobi McAnuff, Adam Nowland, Par Karlsson (Neil Jenkins 46).
Subs not used :  Shane Gore, Paul Robinson
Spurs –  Gavin Kelly, Gianluca Consorti, Ronnie Henry, Alton Thelwell, Ciaran Toner, George Snee, Johnnie Jackson, Steven Ferguson (Mark Hughes 81), John Sutton (Jamie Slabber 67), David Galbraith (Lee Barnard 46)
Subs not used :   Shwan Jalal, Stephen Kelly
Attendance : –  ,

A dull first half saw Spurs doing all the pressing, but they were unable to break through the Dons’ defence.  However, two goals in a minute broke the deadlock.  In the 46th minute, John Piercy’s run into the box ended with a foul on him and Willem Korsten fired home from 12 yards past Paul Heald in the Wimbledon goal.  Then, Matthew Etherington’s left wing run produced a cross to allow Ian Hillier to knock the ball home from close range.

The game then went quiet until the arrival of the two Spurs strikers from the bench and Korsten lobbed a ball to Les Ferdinand to crack a 90th minute volley in to round off the 3-0 win.

Teams :

Spurs –  Ian Walker, Ian Hillier, Antony Gardner, Simon Davies, Alton Thelwell, Destin Makumbu, John Piercy (Steffen Iversen 72), Johnnie Jackson, Yannick Kamanan (Les Ferdinand 72), Willem Korsten, Matthew Etherington
Subs not used :   Jamie Attwell, Ciaran Toner, Steven Ferguson
Wimbledon –  Paul Heald, Shepherd, Byrne, Dean Lewington (Unal 70), Samuel Okkiolu, Mikele Leigertwood, Morgan, Alex Tapp, Robinson (Stephen O’Flynn 77), Jobi McAnuff, Neil Jenkins.
Subs not used :  Sloma, Small, Gore
Ref. : –  Mr. L. Jones
Linesmen : –  Mr. M. Russell – Red flag; Mr. F. Meilack – Yellow flag
Fourth Official : – Mr. J. Parker
Attendance : –  ,

On a cold evening, when the rains had stopped, the reserves finally got a game at St. Albans.  With Wimbledon lining up against Middlesbrough in a FA Cup replay the same night, their side looked very young (or maybe I am getting old) and only a couple of players leapt out as I scanned the team-sheet for familiar names.

So the game began and Spurs did most of the pressing.  The pitch was in reasonable condition considering all the rain that had fallen in the country over the last couple of weeks, but it did cut up a bit and that did not help the passing of either side.  Piercy moved forward onto a return pass to hit a shot which tested Heald in the Dons goal, while Hillier hit a shot wide and then crossed behind the goal when the ball took a nasty bobble off the pitch.

Walker was reduced to fielding back-passes as Wimbledon failed to set up any sort of rhythm, but Tottenham’s wing backs were pushing up and Etherington went on one run and set up Davies, but he could not keep his shot on target.  Korsten was his usual lumbering self and hit a couple of shots, one blocked and the other off target, while Yannick Kamanan was trying to hold the ball up as the target man.  The Spurs keeper was called into action when he saved a low shot and then collected an innocuous free-kick played into the box.  The most worrying moment came when a high ball was missed by Walker and Hillier was on hand to clear from inside the six yard box.

In truth, the first half was a disappointment with play being very scrappy.  But the second period was vastly different.  Within a couple of minutes of the start, Korsten played a nice back-heel into the path of John Piercy running into the box and he was bundled over by the Wimbledon defender for a penalty to be awarded.  Korsten himself stepped up to take it and calmly hit it with the outside of his left foot, straight down the middle of the goal as the keeper dived right.  Two minutes later, Ian Hillier arrived at the far post to steer home a low cross from the left wing by Matthew Etherington for the second.  In effect this killed the game.  The South Londoners rarely threatened after that and Spurs pushed forward to try and add more.  The Spurs Dutchman also was keen to add to his penalty and had a shot go over, while a scramble from a corner saw Gardner causing mayhem among the opposition’s defence.

With 20 minutes remaining, Chris Hughton brought on Les Ferdinand and Steffen Iversen (or Steven as the announcer proclaimed). Coming back from injury this was a good run-out for both the Spurs forwards, who both looked lively.  Ferdinand stung the Dons goalie’s fingers with a long range effort which was grabbed at the second attempt and Iversen turned his marker and hit a first time shot from 20 yards out that was pushed over for a corner.  With just a couple of minutes left on the clock, Ferdie was played in on the edge of the box by a neat flick from Korsten and his powerful drive left Heald grasping air.  It sealed the result and a reasonable performance against a side who were inexperienced, but well versed in Wimbledon’s ways.

For Tottenham, the players did well. Walker did all that was asked of him and his long ball lead to the third goal.  Hillier was solid in the tackle and keen to get forward, as demonstrated by his goal.  Gardner coped with all that came his way and while he was head and shoulders above the Wimbledon forwards (quite literally), he tried to play the ball out of defence even though the pitch was not best suited to dribbling.  Thelwell played much as he had in the first team, doing the simple things and doing them well, while at left back was Destin Makumbu from the Under-19’s. He also got stuck in and although all his headers didn’t go perhaps exactly where he wanted them to go, he was not going to let anyone get past him.

In midfield, Davies worked hard up and down the field, while Matty was quick and decisive on the left, matching skill and work-rate.  Johnnie Jackson was a revelation.  Stepping up form the Under-19’s, he tackled, ran, passed and generally had a terrific game.  Korsten takes laconic to the extreme, but once again scored and then set another goal up, so he can do it.  Shame he doesn’t put himself out a bit more, as he could then be some player.

Kamanan tried hard, but rarely got the service that he would have liked. A couple of half chances came his way, but he didn’t get the shot away before being tackled and when he did, he was off target.  He did hold the ball up well though and John Piercy also made up a lot of ground to support the forwards when the ball went upfield.  When the two first team forwards came on their skill showed and Les looked a class above the Wimbledon Youth team he was playing against.

Marco van Hip

Tottenham coped well with Wimbledon’s long ball game and went ahead before the half-time break when Vinny Samways beat four Dons players and then buried a left foot shot to make it 1-0 to Spurs.

The second half saw Wimbledon come back into the game and score halfway through the second period.  The hosts were looking more in control, but Paul Moran raced away and was fouled by a central defender in the penalty area, handing Vinny Samways the task of scoring from the spot, which he did to ensure a 2-1 victory.

Teams :
Wimbledon –  , , , , , , , , , , .
Subs not used :  , ,
Spurs –  Bobby Mimms, Ian Hendon, John Polston, David Tuttle, Andy Polston, Peter Garland, John Moncur, Ian Gilzean, Paul Moran (Richard Johnston 85), Vinny Samways
Sub. not used :  Dave McDonald
Attendance : –  ,

Giving Johnny Metgod a run-out after injury, Spurs enjoyed a good afternoon, with John Moncur opening the scoring with a left-footed volley before Shaun Close made it 2-0 finishing off a Mark Robson cross from a short corner into the box with a header.  Robson turned scorer with a precisely placed right foot effort into the top corner, following it up with the fourth goal, beating the keeper with his shot after coming inside from the left wing.

Paul Moran was alert to intercept a back-pass and find the net and he then created the opportunity for Richard Johnston to complete the 6-0 rout.

Teams :
Wimbledon –  , , , , , , , , , , .
Subs not used :  , ,
Spurs –  Ray Clemence (Guy Butters 46), Brian Statham, Tim O’Shea, John Polston, Billy Manuel, Mark Robson, Johnny Metgod (Jason Cook 70), Shaun Close (Richard Johnston 70), John Moncur, David Howells (Paul Moran 35)
Attendance : –  ,

Tottenham took the opportunity to field some Youth Training Scheme players for the following season, while the Wombles fielded a strong team.  A strong start to the match continued through the first half and the teams turned around goal-less only because Peter Crouch’s finish to Narada Bernard’s cross was ruled out by the referee. 

Despite some good passing and movement off the ball, Spurs were undone in the closing minutes when a mis-kicked clearance was tucked away for Wimbledon’s winner.

Teams :
Spurs –  Gavin Kelly, Leigh Mills, Alton Thelwell, Ledley King, Narada Bernard, Nicky Hunt, Ross Fitzsimon, Simon Clist, Glenn Poole, Peter Crouch, Ian Stonebridge.
Sub. not used :
Wimbledon –  .
Sub. not used :
Attendance : –  ,

Del Deanus took over between the posts and the defence, starring David Culverhouse playing his first full game, did their best to keep the ball away from our goal.  The Spurs winner came in the second half.  Lee Hodges went on a good run before providing substitute Stephen Baker with the chance, which he took well.

Teams :
Wimbledon –  .
Spurs – John Cheesewright (David Culverhouse 1), Neil Young, Warren Hackett, Dean Wood (Stephen Baker 60), Del Deanus, Stuart Nethercott, Steve Smart, Price, Lee Hodges, Kevin Watson, Mark Hall
Sub. not used :
Attendance : –  ,

A piece of quick thinking saw Spurs take a third minute lead when Steve Smart got between the goalkeeper and a Wimbledon defender to put the ball into the net, but despite dominating play, Tottenham could not add to the score despite Scott Houghton being sent clear on four occasions without finding the net.

A 20 yard effort through a crowd of players brought the Dons level and after half-time a 30 yard rocket into the top corner gave them the lead.  Smart did well to feed Warren Hackett and his cross was nodded in at the far post by Neil Smith to make it 2-2 with 70 minutes gone, but two close range goals handed the points to Wimbledon.

Teams :
Wimbledon –  .
Spurs –  Richard Eldridge, Chris Bartlett (Gordon 75), Warren Hackett, Steven Bence, Neil Smith, Vic Hardwicke, Julian, Jamie Redknapp, Martin McIntosh, Scott Houghton, Steve Smart
Sub. not used :
Attendance : –  ,

Buoyed by a goal within a couple of minutes of the kick off, Wimbledon put in a strong first half performance, but Spurs smashed an confidence the home side had with three goals in ten minutes.  Terry Robbins, Robert Brace and Mike McCabe all found a way past the stubborn Wimbledon defence and into the second half, Spurs went on to control the match, with Ally Dick rounding off a 4-1 win near the end of the match.

Teams :
Spurs –  Mark Hughes, Steve Cox, Kenny Dixon, Ian Culverhouse, Simon Webster, Terry Robbins, Robert Brace, Allan Cockram, Mike McCabe, Mark Bowen, Ally Dick
Wimbledon –  .
Sub. not used :
Attendance : –  ,

Despite Tottenham’s attacking intent, they were unable to turn it into goals.  As if hitting the post once and the crossbar twice was not bad enough, a second half penalty kick taken by Tony Isaacs was saved by the Wimbledon keeper, but by then, the Dons had taken two chances and that was enough to win the game.

Teams :
Spurs –  G. Mahoney, Des Walker (John Hunt), B. Todd, A. Goodchild, M. Furneaux, Tony Isaacs, C. Smith, Paul Murphy (Neil Stepney), Andy Smith, Elmore Toppin, Richard Cooke
Wimbledon –  .
Sub. not used :
Attendance : –  ,

Tottenham’s goal came from Gary Rudkin, but it was not enough as the Dons went on to take the points.

Teams :
Wimbledon –  .
Sub. not used :
Spurs –  K. Hornden, D. Bushell, M. Duberry, C. Cowley, N. Tate, John Leonard (Andy Cope), Glen Alzapiedi, R. Bourne, Robert Hutchinson, Gary Rudkin, David Hawkes
Attendance : –  ,

It was all square at 1-1 at half-time, but Wimbledon ran out 3-2 winners despite Tottenham scoring through Allan Cockram and Gary Londers.

Teams :
Wimbledon –  .
Sub. not used :
Spurs –  Tony Parks, G. Boniface, M. Entwistle, John Kearney, C. Enright, Kerry Dixon, Steve Cox, Allan Cockram, Mike Jones, Gary Londers, Steve Flynn (L. Flavell).
Attendance : –  ,

It was an experienced Dons side that faced the Spurs Juniors, who scored two goals past Tony Parks, who had a fine game.  Simon Webster was thrown straight into action on his return from holiday in Morocco.

Teams :
Spurs –  Tony Parks, Mark Entwistle, Paul Baxter, P. Ferguson, Simon Webster, Steve Flynn (Duncan MacDowell), M. Duffield,  G. Boniface, Mark Jones, A. Greenhill, Steve Cox.
Wimbledon –  .
Sub. not used :
Attendance : –  ,

Tottenham earned a point with goals from Terry Gibson, who got two and Jimmy Bolton.

Teams :
Wimbledon –  .
Spurs –  Tony Parks, Mark Entwistle, Kevin Dickenson, Terry Emms, Pat Corbett, G. Moore (Steve Flynn), Chris Harvey, Danny Greaves (Gerry Griffin), Jimmy Bolton, Terry Gibson, John Cooper
Sub. not used :
Attendance : –  ,

Spurs turned around one goal behind, but substitute Mike Jones (not to be confused with centre forward Michael B Jones) struck to level the scores by the end.

Teams :
Spurs –  A. Curtis, Peter Southey, I. Mehmet, G. Brown, C. Candler, Owsun Abebrese, N. Thompson (Mike Jones), Leo Lisanti, Michael B. Jones, G. Moore, P. Wood
Wimbledon –  .
Sub. not used :
Attendance : –  ,