AFC Wimbledon Vs Walton & Hersham (MATCH REPORT)

Last updated : 25 July 2002 By

It dawned on me after the first 20 minutes, that if AFCW can play Walton and Hersham almost as equals, then there is a lot going for us when we enter the CCL. The ground was above standard with a nice pub-like building with a burger bar in; all over flowing with yellow shirts. The only drawback to this ground was the fact that it had a running track round the circumference of the pitch. This meant that we couldn’t tease the goalie, darn.

The atmosphere was electric and the singing plentiful; it was great to see some blokes walk in, in their suits and briefcase, shouting at the players. One bloke really caught my attention, he had a moustache and a fairly full head of hair, and he was pretty into it. Hunt was on top form, saving some sitters; it wasn’t that the shots were miss-struck; it was the fact that he came into his own. I think that Eames has found his goalie. If our defence was a bit tighter all through out the game, then the opposition may not have got the goal flood that the received. Their number 3 was allowed to run at our defence at a lightening pace, to lay balls to his teammates.

I think that the problem was that our defence were scared of their attackers, and to give them their due, they did look very sharp. Our passing was good, although I personally feel that Dean Martin is a bit of a let down: Although he very much looks the part of a great attacker, he lacks the finesses, and actual skills that most of our team has. I think that Eames needs to do a little shopping and get a class act in.

The opposition was strong, but I think they frightened our players more than out-playing them; I can see the shape of the team starting to gel, which is encouraging, even though there were a few new faces, which I didn’t recognise. My man of the match was the right wing man, who covered and broke attacks; he was very sprightly and put his all into the game. The fans are still with the team, and I think that the coming season, AFC Wimbledon is a team to reckon with. As long as we stick by our team through the good times and the bad, our perseverance will prevail.