Gareth Ainsworth “I love being the manager of this club”

AFC Wimbledon 1 : 1 Wycombe Wanderers

Adebayo Akinfenwa came off the bench to score a vital equaliser against a former club to keep Wycombe’s playoff hopes alive.

Most of the plaudits on the day however belonged to the home side whose battling display earned them well a first half lead. Most of the outstanding players; Ayoub Assal, Alex Woodyard, Lee Brown and Jack Rudoni were in blue shorts as the Dons belied the respective league positions of the two sides.

Wimbledon’s 22nd minute opener was a collaboration of three of their best players on the day. A great run by Assal down the Dons’ left found Woodyard. He delivered a shot but Rudoni redirected it in from close in and gave the hone siide a deserved lead.

10 minutes from the end, Akinfenwa leveled at the far post but Wimbledon were unhappy as captain Woodyard was lying injured. It wasn’t a head injury however so referee Samuel Barrott had no obligation to stop play, but this angered Dons’ coach Mark Bowen:

“I’m really angry because the game has been taken away from us by other things over the course of the match.

“The goal that they scored – our captain’s been on the floor for 30 seconds with a torn calf muscle – but the referee’s response to me was that it had to be a head injury for play to be stopped.

“That may be the case, but I watch Champions League and Premier League games every week and the referees can’t wait to blow their whistle.

“If Woody had been on his feet I don’t think they would have scored their goal. It’s ridiculous. I can’t accept it.”

The case that he had seen wrong decisions in other games was perhaps not the strongest one but Woodyard’s occasional looking up and clutching his head did not help his case.

However Bowen has raised a good question. Woodyard was 30 yards from goal as he lay injuted. Would the official have been forced to stop the game if he had been lying injured on the goal line?

Wycombe coach Gareth Ainsworth was reluctant to pan his tired looking players but praised his former club to the skies:

“It was a tough game today. Wimbledon are absolutely scrapping and fighting for their lives, even though they’ve only had one shot on target. Teams like this are going to scrap and fair play to Wimbledon, They were great with their fighting, their physicality.

“I want to credit Wimbledon. I played for the club that this club represents and I don’t want to see them go out the league. Hopefully they can stay up and the results weren’t too damaging for us elsewhere either.

“Mark’s picked a big team because he wants to stand up to us. And it worked until half time where I had to ‘have some words’ and ring the changes after ten minutes.”

Turning to his own team, he admitted that some absentees and the length of the season had some effect on his players’ energy levels:

Results elsewhere were not too damaging.

Promotion rivals, Plymouth and Sunderland drew 0-0 at Home Park although a decisive outcome to damage just one of the sides might have been more advantageous for Wycombe as seven sides are now competing for six places.

“It’s ten unbeaten now. Easter Weekend, the lads look tired now. I thought there we were unrecognisable in a couple of moments. That’s down to me with the players and who I pick.

“It’s difficult with Anis (Mehmeti) out and Curtis Thompson (out) and Lewis WIng suspended. If you’re not at your best and you get a point away from home, then I think that’s great.”

Today he has to look on nervously as Wigan Athletic visit Ipswich Town, Oxford United host Milton Keynes Dons and Sheffield Wednesday host bottom club Crewe Alexandra who are already relegated.

For Dons fans, Morecambe, Gillingham and Fleetwood are the catchable sides.

Wimbledon need at least a draw, and probably more, at Fleetwood on Saturday

All three drew, Fleetwood and Gillingham 0-0 with each other. The Don’s trip to Fleetwood on Saturday is a must win for both sides. Morecambe are at MK Dons and Gillingham visit Portsmouth.

A point for Morecambe would leave them out of Wimbledon’s reach but catching the Gills is a more attainable achievment for the Dons. Gillingham’s last game is at home to Rotherham while Wimbledon host Accrington Stanley.

It will go to the wire, something Wycombe fans are well used to. They have taken almost every season to the wire since Ainsworth arrived

In their last six seasons, Wycombe have only had one meaningless game; Stevenage at home after they clinched promotion the week before.

In every other season, their fans have woken up on the morning of the final day, not knowing what division the club would be playing in next season.

Ainsworth battled the Plough Lane lawnmower to address this after the game. Wycombe fans and management will be delighted with his response:

On a day where he was extremely generous to the opposition and his team underperformed, they were the words every fan and player want to hear.