Cambridge United 1 v Wimbledon 2
Wimbledon have one foot in the play-offs after beating Cambridge United 2-1 at the Abbey Stadium on Saturday (9 April).
Terry Brown's men put in a display that was more emphatic than the scoreline suggests, emerging with victory thanks to goals from Brett Johnson – his third in four games – and Kaid Mohamed.
The Dons now know that a win at Histon next weekend will secure their play-off berth, although, even if they lose, results elsewhere could be enough to see them cross the line.
After this victory, boss Terry Brown told the Non-League Paper: "We’re still not mathematically there but we’ve got Histon next week and some games we ought to win. So, while I’m not being blasé about it, we’re planning for the play-offs now."
Johnson opened the scoring after just 11 minutes, reacting quickets to prod home from close range after an effort following a corner was blocked on the line.
Mohamed saw one effort saved by home keeper Simon Brown, but his opposite number Seb Brown also had to be alert to deny James Jennings, with Danny Wright also being denied by Gareth Gwillim as the home side threatened.
But it was the Dons who scored next, just after the half hour, when Mohamed found himself with time to blast home left footed following Luke Moore’s cross.
The Dons continued the pressure after the break, with Mohamed having three near misses and Moore going close with a bicycle kick that went narrowly over.
But the home side kept plugging away as they battled to avoid what could prove to be a costly defeat in their bid to beat relegation, and pulled a goal back eight minutes from the end when Wright fired home from the edge of the area.
The Dons were then pegged back for the remainder of the game as Cambridge attempted to steal a draw that would have been harsh given Wimbledon’s dominance of the game overall, but the defence held firm to secure a vital three points.
Wimbledon will have a chance to secure their place at Histon next Saturday (16 April) before a squad side faces Hendon in the semi-final of the London Senior Cup at Kingsmeadow on Tuesday 19 April.
Attendance: 2,907
Cambridge Utd: Simon Brown, Roberts, Jennings, Saah, Partridge (sub Coulson 90), Wright, Platt (Marriott 65), Patrick, Bentley, Sinclair (Berry 46), Hughes. Subs not used: Naisbitt, McAuley.
Goalscorer: Wright 82.
Booked: Wright 42, Hughes 57, Bentley 77.
Wimbledon: Seb Brown, Hatton, Gwillim, Gregory, Yakubu, Johnson, Minshull, Wellard (Hudson 71), Kedwell (Nwokeji 79), Mohamed, L. Moore (Stuart 87). Subs not used: Turner, Jackson.
Goalscorers: Johnson 11, Mohamed 32.
Referee: Andy Madley (West Yorkshire).
Rob Crane
April 9, 2011
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