Dons Slash Prices For York Cup Replay


York 1 v Wimbledon 1

Wimbledon have slashed admission prices for an FA Cup 1st round replay against York City after the two sides drew 1-1 at Bootham Crescent on Saturday (8 November).

The teams will replay on Tuesday 18 November at Kingsmeadow and tickets for all areas of the ground have been cut to £10 for adults and £5 for concessions and under-18s, with the Your Golf Travel terrace remaining closed.

Wimbledon will be hoping the move helps create a midweek Cup atmosphere as the teams battle for the right to earn a 2nd round tie at Wycombe Wanderers.

Manager Neal Ardley sprang a surprise for this tie, dropping Matt Tubbs to the bench and handing a start to Adebayo Azeez alongside his namesake Akinfenwa, and Sammy Moore also dropped for new boy Frankie Sutherland.

But Wimbledon struggled to adapt to the sodden pitch and went behind after just 8 minutes, Michael Coulson capitalising after Jack Smith appeared to be bundled over in the area to deliver a low cross that Jake Hyde converted emphatically at the near post to put York ahead.

Although Lindon Meikle went close to making it 2-0 moments later, Wimbledon pushed forward with Sean Rigg chipping just over.

And they got their reward midway through the first period when George Francomb’s low near-post corner was deflected goalwards by Rigg and, when Michael Ingham in the York goal failed to gather, centre-back Andy Frampton pounced to grab the equaliser.

Azeez could have made it 2-0 when he got behind the defence, only to see Ingham save, while at the other end James Shea had to do likewise to palm over a firmly struck Michael Coulson free-kick.

Either side of the interval Sutherland and Akinfenwa spurned opportunities, but then the Dons suffered a setback as Frampton was forced off having turned his ankle, being replaced by veteran Alan Bennett.

And with quarter of an hour to go Ardley opted to refresh his attack, bringing on Tubbs and youngster George Oakley to refresh the forward line.

But it was the home side that finished on the front foot, forcing the moment of the match from Shea. A deep cross found Wes Fletcher’s head and seemed destined for the back of the net, only for Shea to full off a spectacular flying stop on the line. Shea was still on the floor as he stuck out a leg to block Coulson’s attempted follow-up and then leaped into the air to scoop the ball off Coulson’s head as the York man went for a nod-in. And Shea was finally able to breathe again as Fletcher again got involved, his attempt being blocked by Bennett as the Dons survived a frantic few seconds.

Ardley told the club’s official website that it was ‘a world class double save’ by the man who joined the Dons from Harrow Borough this summer.

‘James Shea is an outstanding goalkeeper,’ he added, ‘and we have to make sure that he stays with us for a few years and that we develop him.’

The Dons entertain Dagenham & Redbridge at Kingsmeadow this weekend (15 November) before staging the replay of this tie.

York: Ingham, McCoy, McCombe (Zubar 27), Lowe, Ilesanmi, Meikle, Penn, Montrose (Summerfield 75), Coulson, Burton (Fletcher 54), Hyde. Subs not used: Mooney, Straker, Platt, Hirst.

Goalscorer: Hyde 8.

Booked: McCoy 43, Fletcher 67.

Wimbledon: Shea, Fuller, Barrett, Frampton (Bennett 59), Smith, Francomb, Sutherland, Bulman, Rigg, Azeez (Oakley 76), Akinfenwa (Tubbs 76). Subs not used: Moore, Kennedy, McDonnell.

Goalscorer: Frampton 22.

By Rob Crane

Att: 2,085

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November 11, 2014