Match report
Barrow condemned Wimbledon to their first league defeat at Kingsmeadow in four months with a committed and resolute performance. Second-half goals from Mark Boyd and Nick Chadwick sealed a well-deserved victory for the visitors, who controlled the pace of the game throughout and barely allowed the Dons a sight of goal.
Only once was goalkeeper Tim Deasy called into serious action, to save a Jon Main penalty five minutes before half-time. Main had won the spot-kick himself, falling to the ground under a challenge from Barrow captain Phil Bolland. The centre-half, whose performance was otherwise faultless, was caught out by a delicious through-ball from Sam Hatton and was judged to have tripped Main just before the striker looked set to get a shot away. Referee Ian Cooper produced only a yellow card for the defender – where others may have shown red – before Main added to the home fans’ frustration by shooting weakly from the spot. Deasy barely had to stretch himself to keep the scores level.
The miss summed up a poor night for Main, in for Nathan Elder to start his first league game since the victory over Mansfield Town in January. He was well marshalled by Bolland, who along with fellow centre-half Mike Pearson dealt comfortably with the high balls that the home side continued to pump forward. The tactic seemed at odds with Wimbledon’s starting line-up, in which Luke Moore and Ricky Wellard played as wingers in a flat midfield four. The width they offered was not exploited, with the Dons seemingly intent on keeping the play narrow.
In truth, until the penalty award it was the visitors who had looked more likely open the scoring. The pace of winger Carlos Logan on the break was causing endless problems for Jay Conroy at right-back. Logan would switch wings for the second half, but Conroy’s night did not get any better. Five minutes after the restart, Paul Rutherford found space on the left to roll the ball to Boyd, who lashed it into the top right corner of the net with James Pullen left clutching at thin air.
Fifteen minutes later Terry Brown attempted to lift his charges by first bringing on Nathan Elder in place of Main, who had suffered a knock in the first half, then replacing Glenn Poole with Kennedy Adjei. The Dons also reverted to a diamond midfield, with Moore pushed up just behind the two strikers. But Wimbledon continued to aim balls down the channels for their front pair, as the midfield, despite the industry of Hatton, failed to exert any influence on proceedings.
The Dons’ misery was completed with a quarter of an hour remaining. Ben Judge played the ball back to Pullen, whose heavy first touch invited pressure from Barrow sub Jason Walker. The keeper’s hurried clearance fell at the feet of Chadwick, who fired the ball into a virtually unguarded net from nearly 30 yards.
The goal sapped any remaining belief from the home side, leaving Barrow to see out the remainder of the game with ease. Wimbledon fans who expected their opponents to be tired after their FA Trophy semi-final exertions three days before instead had to watch their own side limping towards the final whistle, second to every loose ball and second best in every challenge.
Terry Brown confirmed afterwards that changes would be made ahead of Saturday’s game against Rushden & Diamonds. If the Dons were to retain any hope of a playoff place, they would have to produce a better performance than they offered on this wet, miserable evening.
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