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AFC Wimbledon 0-0 Blackpool: Seasiders rue poor finishing once again as long wait for away win continues
Blackpool’s long wait for an away win continues as they were forced to settle for a frustrating goalless draw at struggling AFC Wimbledon.
The managerless Seasiders squandered a number of gilt-edged chances once again, Nathan Delfouneso the main guilty party.
But Taylor Moore and James Husband also missed golden opportunities to claim a first victory for Pool on the road since September.
But scoreless it remained, for the third game running at Kingsmeadow in this fixture, meaning the men in tangerine have still only won one game in 14.
They were, however, able to boast a first clean sheet in 18 games, the Seasiders managing to deny their opponents for the first time since beating the Dons at Bloomfield Road in November.
Dunn opted to make two changes to the Pool side, both of them enforced with Ben Heneghan serving the first of his three-game suspension and top scorer Armand Gnanduillet missing out with a hamstring injury.
In came Ollie Turton to the back three, while Nathan Delfouneso was the man tasked with partnering Gary Madine in attack.
Jay Spearing returned to the squad, named among the substitutes after missing last week’s 2-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers through concussion.
Jak Alnwick (arm) and Sullay Kaikai (groin/abductor) remain sidelined with injuries, while the likes of Mark Howard, Jordan Thorniley, Ben Garrity and Sean Scannell weren’t involved.
With Gnanduillet missing, that meant Pool only had 15 goals among those players named in the starting XI, Delfouneso the standout with seven, Matty Virtue next with three.
The Dons, stung by their midweek 5-0 defeat at Oxford United, made a strong start to the game, piling the pressure on the Seasiders with dangerous balls into the channels.
Chris Maxwell was forced into action early on, getting down to his right to save from Anthony Hartigan’s low effort.
With Heneghan and Gnanduillet missing, the Seasiders were lacking height from set pieces, with only Nathan Delfouneso and Gary Madine able to tower above their opponents.
Delfouneso, back in the team for his first start since the end of January, broke well on nine minutes but - with options either side of him - the forward held onto the ball for too long before seeing his eventual through-ball cleared with ease.
The Dons came within a whisker of breaking the deadlock on 14 minutes when the game suddenly sprung into life.
Kwesi Appiah was the man to head narrowly over Maxwell’s crossbar after meeting Luke O’Neill’s right-wing centre.
The Seasiders returned with an immediate chance of their own, Delfouneso seeing his low effort saved by the legs of keeper Joe Day before looping the rebound narrowly wide of the far post.
Pool remained a threat on the break, Delfouneso finding himself in behind Wimbledon’s backline for a second time after latching onto a hopeful long ball from Taylor Moore.
Once again the forward opted to delay, rather than take his shot first time, eventually seeing his lob deflect narrowly over the bar.
At the other end, Maxwell had to make sure he was alert to rush off his line to beat Appiah to a dangerous ball in behind.
Liam Feeney posed plenty of problems for Wimbledon’s young left back Paul Osew, the winger delivering a dangerous ball into the six-yard box that a home defender nicked away just as Delfouneso was ready to pounce.
Pool began to grow more and more into proceedings, Virtue seeing a low shot blocked from inside the six-yard box after the hosts had failed to clear their lines.
Dons were offering very little other than set pieces, which is why it was so important not to concede any needless corners or free kicks.
That’s exactly what they did seven minutes before the break, conceding a corner which Maxwell had to tip over his own bar at full stretch after back-pedalling.
Despite a big graphic saying ‘GOAL’ flashing on the big screen on the stroke of half time, the first period did in fact end goalless.
Pool wasted the chance to hit Wimbledon on the break at the start of the second half, squandering a three-on-two situation.
Madine broke down the right channel only to see his crossfield ball to Connor Ronan safely head back to the goalkeeper by a home defender.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall attempted to use the wind to his advantage on 53 minutes, the on-loan Leicester City man seeing his corner almost deceive Day at the near post - only for the keeper to punch clear at the last moment.
The Seasiders began to turn the screw, both Madine and Dewsbury-Hall having shots blocked before Taylor Moore missed a gilt-edged chance to make the breakthrough.
The defender was set up by a delightful lay-off from Madine, but the defender couldn’t control his first-time volley which flew narrowly over.
The game finally threatened to spark into life, with Pool’s desperation to break the deadlock opening up spaces behind their backline.
Thankfully Ollie Turton did superbly to halt one quick counter in particular, the defender tackling Joe Piggott just as the striker threatened to go clear through on goal.
Another huge chance went begging for Blackpool on 68 minutes when Ronan was allowed to surge through on goal despite appearing offside.
The midfielder laid it onto a plate for Delfouneso, who opted to take a touch instead of shooting first time and eventually being crowded out. On the rebound, Ronan then saw his low, drilled effort cleared away from goal.
The longer the game went on without Pool making that breakthrough, the more Wimbledon began to threaten.
With just eight minutes left on the clock, Maxwell was called into action to make a diving save to his right to deny substitute Alan Roscrow.
The Dons, now growing in confidence after being under the cosh for so long, came even closer two minutes later when Maxwell superbly tipped over Shane McLoughlin’s effort.
Just as the clock ticked into stoppage time, Pool squandered yet another golden chance to win it.
Dewsbury-Hall delivered a promising deep free kick that fell to the unmarked James Husband at the back post, yet the defender failed to hit the target.
It meant the Seasiders were left to rue their wastefulness in front of goal yet again, the issue being one that has plagued their League One campaign.
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Wimbledon Post Match Thread on 19:34 - Feb 22 with 180 views
Caretaker boss David Dunn gives his verdict on Blackpool's goalless draw at AFC Wimbledon
Caretaker boss David Dunn was pleased with Blackpool's performance in their goalless draw at AFC Wimbledon - up until the final third, at least.
The Seasiders' long wait for an away win continues as the Seasiders were forced to settle for a point against their lowly opponents.
Dunn's charges had the better chances to win the game, but once again were left to rue their poor finishing.
When asked how his side haven't won that game, Dunn joked: “Because we haven’t scored a goal.
"But I feel if we get one, then the floodgates could have opened.
“But as I said to the players in the dressing room, in terms of their effort I can’t fault any single one of them.
“If I’m nit-picking, could our final movements and our final ball be a little bit better in the penalty area? But they’ve given us our all.
“I thought in the first half, it was really difficult with the conditions against the wind, so I knew if we got in at half time without them scoring then we’d have a really good chance of going on to win the game.
“Once again, the same as Bristol Rovers last week, they’ve given it all and let’s be honest, after their 5-0 defeat to Oxford on Tuesday night, we were always going to see a reaction.
“We knew it was going to be a different game, so I think anyone that watched the game will be relatively pleased with how the lads performed - certainly in the second half.
“It was two totally different halves. First half we were resilient, blocked shots and stopped crosses.
“Whereas in the second half we got it down and played and were camped in their half for the majority of it. Unfortunately we just couldn’t quite break them down.”
Blackpool's lack of composure in the final third and their poor finishing was to blame once again, with Nathan Delfouneso, Taylor Moore and James Husband all missing gilt-edged chances.
Dunn added: “We’ve got to be a bit better, which is something I think we can work on in terms of movement in and around the box and the final third.
“I can’t fault them though.
“Since I’ve stepped up, I couldn’t have asked for too much more from them.
“I will say as well, that’s the first clean sheet we’ve had since November, so that’s a positive. Whatever anyone says, we’ve got a clean sheet away from home.
“I want to go and attack teams and play good football, but let’s not forget you can start winning games if you keep clean sheets.”
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Wimbledon Post Match Thread on 19:37 - Feb 22 with 178 views
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Wimbledon Post Match Thread on 19:40 - Feb 22 with 176 views
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Wimbledon Post Match Thread on 19:41 - Feb 22 with 174 views
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Wimbledon Post Match Thread on 19:42 - Feb 22 with 173 views
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Wimbledon Post Match Thread on 19:47 - Feb 22 with 171 views
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Wimbledon Post Match Thread on 20:11 - Feb 22 with 167 views
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Wimbledon Post Match Thread on 20:34 - Feb 22 with 165 views
Dons dig in for a hard-earned point against Blackpool
Wimbledon get back on track with a draw after heavy midweek loss
Wimbledon steadied the ship after a difficult midweek trip to Oxford by securing a point at home to Blackpool today.
The Dons had to show plenty of character to repel Blackpool's second-half pressure, but ended the match with chances to earn victory, the 0-0 draw perhaps fair on the balance of play. The result at least steadied the ship for Wimbledon after that tough midweek match at Oxford United and the point was certainly a hard-earned one on the day.
Glyn Hodges made five changes to his starting line-up after the midweek defeat at Oxford United. There was a significant inclusion up front with Kwesi Appiah handed his first start since late November, as Mitch Pinnock had to settle for a place on the bench. Scott Wagstaff, Jack Rudoni, Callum Reilly, and Paul Osew were recalled in place of Shane McLoughlin, Julien Lamy, Max Sanders, and Nesta Guinness-Walker. Wimbledon’s players came into this match aiming to put that disappointment at the Kassam Stadium fully behind them against a Blackpool side that had slipped down to 16th in League One after a disappointing sequence of results.
Wimbledon started the match by showing plenty of attacking intent and Chris Maxwell was forced to make a save just a few minutes in to stop Anthony Hartigan’s shot from outside the box. Appiah looked very sharp early on and he showed his aerial ability to reach a corner first, but his header drifted wide. It had been a very positive start by Wimbledon and a well-worked move almost resulted in the opening goal in the 13th minute. A good passing sequence ended with Luke O’Neill sending over a superb cross from the right that picked out Appiah, who headed just over the crossbar. After being forced onto the back foot by Wimbledon’s bright start, Blackpool had a very good chance to take the lead shortly afterwards with former Aston Villa striker Nathan Delfouneso going clean through, but Joe Day reacted brilliantly to save.
As the first-half wore on, Blackpool started to show glimpses of the form that had them vying for the play-off positions earlier this season in League One. Delfouneso was a constant menace up front and Matty Virtue had a goal-bound shot blocked. As we approached half-time, Wimbledon had to regain a bit of the attacking flow from the start of this game, but Blackpool had noticeably grown in confidence. Rudoni did make Blackpool keeper Chris Maxwell work when he delivered a very dangerous corner from the right that had to be tipped over, but it was proving difficult to create chances during the first-half against a side defending in numbers. The half-time whistle shrilled with the score at 0-0 and only one meaningful chance each for the two sides. Appiah’s header had come closest for Wimbledon and Day did very well to deny Blackpool’s Delfouneso at the other end.
Blackpool started to show a bit more ambition at the start of the second-half and Joe Day was required to make a finger-tip save to stop a corner finding the back of the net. Wimbledon’s on-loan keeper was left exposed just before the hour and it should have been 1-0 to the visitors. A cross was sent over to Blackpool’s left flank and it was flicked back by Gary Madine for Taylor Moore just 10 yards out, but he blazed over the crossbar. It was a difficult spell for Wimbledon and Terell Thomas came to the rescue when he showed good defensive qualities to clear a cross from close to the goal-line. With Wimbledon struggling to make an impact in attack, Glyn Hodges made his first change in the 65th minute with Adam Roscrow replacing Kwesi Appiah.
Delfouneso had a great chance to put Blackpool ahead with 22 minutes left after he was put clean through, but he delayed his shot and the ball was eventually scrambled clear by Mads Sorensen. The Dons had shown plenty of spirit to defy Blackpool’s second-half pressure, but our manager called for more fresh legs with 13 minutes to go as Shane McLoughlin replaced Reilly, who had battled on admirably in midfield after shrugging off a first-half knock. His efforts were certainly appreciated by the home faithful as he made his way off.
With 10 minutes remaining, Wimbledon almost earned the lead through Roscrow, who showed impressive pace to go through on goal and his shot was decent too, but Maxwell just managed to get a hand to it. The Welsh striker was certainly lively after his introduction, showing positive signs that he can emerge from an injury-hit start to his Wimbledon career. As we entered the latter stages, Wimbledon pressed for a winner and it almost came through substitute McLoughlin, who got on the end of a cross at the back post, but his fine shot was superbly saved by Maxwell. A late victory just wasn't to be for Wimbledon, but it was a point that offers something to build on for the coming weeks.
AFC Wimbledon: Joe Day, Luke O’Neill, Terell Thomas (Rod McDonald), Scott Wagstaff, Anthony Hartigan, Kwesi Appiah (Adam Roscrow), Jack Rudoni, Mads Sorensen, Callum Reilly (Shane McLoughlin), Paul Osew, Joe Pigott.
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Wimbledon Post Match Thread on 21:36 - Feb 22 with 157 views
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Wimbledon Post Match Thread on 07:56 - Feb 23 with 154 views
'The long wait for an away win continues': Matt Scrafton's verdict on Blackpool's frustrating goalless draw with AFC Wimbledon
Despite their best efforts, Blackpool’s long and often painful wait for that elusive away win continues.
Fourteen games in all competitions have come and gone without the Seasiders claiming a victory on their travels.
The last successful excursion came at the Keepmoat Stadium back in the middle of September.
Armand Gnanduillet started and ended a flowing last-minute move on a crisp Tuesday night against Doncaster Rovers.
The slender, hard-earned win helped Blackpool climb up to fifth in the League One table. It feels like a distant memory now.
The truth is, the managerless Seasiders will take any win now — home or away. The victory against the league’s worst side Southend United at the start of the month is the only time they’ve tasted success in all competitions in their last 14 outings.
Playing the side fourth from bottom in the table, who have just been thrashed 5-0 in midweek, provided another priceless opportunity for David Dunn’s charges to record a long-overdue three points.
Their performance, which was spirited, controlled and well-measured, deserved exactly that. But alas, it didn’t come and Pool were left to rue their poor finishing in front of goal once again.
That is essentially the only thing that let them down at Kingsmeadow on Saturday, because other than that they were pretty much bang on the money.
It always promised to be an uphill battle to find the back of the net given the absence of top goalscorer Armand Gnanduillet. Even with the Frenchman in the team, the Seasiders aren’t the most prolific of scorers.
But the 28-year-old, who was missing for this encounter due to a hamstring injury suffered in the defeat to Bristol Rovers, has more goals to his name — 18 in all competitions — than all of the players that started the game against Wimbledon put together.
Take Nathan Delfouneso’s seven goals for the season out of the equation and the only other player to have hit more than two this term is midfielder Matty Virtue, with three.
But, even without a prolific scorer in their ranks, the men in tangerine still produced more than enough chances to get the job done.
After surviving an early spell of pressure from the hosts, which saw them face a barrage of pressure down their right flank and from set pieces, before Kwesi Appiah headed narrowly over, Pool took control of proceedings.
That came thanks to their calmness and composure on the ball, with midfield loanees Connor Ronan and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall becoming increasingly influential.
Nathan Delfouneso wasted the first of three good chances on 15 minutes when he was denied by the legs of goalkeeper Joe Day before looping the rebound just wide of the far post.
Five minutes later, the 29-year-old used his pace to good effect to get in behind Wimbledon’s static backline for a second time.
The ball sat up nicely for the forward, but he hesitated and opted to delay, eventually seeing his lob deflect just over Day’s crossbar.
With the swirling wind behind them, you’d have expected more from the home side, even taking into account their low league position.
But even with their height advantage, with the Seasiders badly lacking Ben Heneghan and Gnanduillet in that respect, the Dons were unable to fashion any clear-cut chances.
Pool defended well in the first half and, while they weren’t as good on the ball as they were in the second, they displayed all the attributes you want to see from a team that are struggling for both confidence and results.
The second period was a different story entirely as the Seasiders were ultimately camped in Wimbledon’s half for the vast majority of it.
Wave after wave of attacks came and went, Pool constantly banging the door down but to no success.
On-loan Bristol City defender Taylor Moore ought to have broken the deadlock just before the hour mark when he volleyed over with a first-time effort.
He was set up by a subtle first-time lay-off from Gary Madine, who had been picked out with an equally impressive crossfield ball from Ronan.
What followed was to be the main talking point of the match, as Delfouneso somehow transpired to miss from close range when it looked easier to score.
Ronan was adjudged to have beaten the offside trap, somewhat suspiciously, it has to be said, before slipping the ball across the face of goal for the Fonz to tap home — or so we thought.
But, barely six yards out, the forward, yet again, opted to delay and take a touch, and lo and behold that touch overran him and the chance went begging.
Wimbledon seemingly took inspiration from Blackpool’s refusal to win a game that was there to be taken by the scruff of the neck.
The League One strugglers grew in confidence in the dying stages and Pool were reliant on goalkeeper Chris Maxwell to escape with a point, when the game already ought to have been done and dusted with.
Maxwell first did well to deny substitute Adam Roscrow at full stretch before producing a superb reaction stop to tip Shane McLoughlin’s back-post effort over the bar.
Had Blackpool somehow transpired to lose this, there really would have been a full-blown inquest.
On a positive note, the Seasiders were at least able to take solace in keeping their first clean sheet in 18 games. Small mercies, I suppose.
The last time Pool kept a shutout was back in November, when Gnanduillet was at the double in a routine win against...you guessed it, Wimbledon.
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Wimbledon Post Match Thread on 08:00 - Feb 23 with 152 views
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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