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A goal in the first half of extra time by Callum Dunne sealed this victory and saw AFC Wimbledon venture through to the second round proper of the FA Youth cup where they now face AFC Bournemouth at home in three weeks' time.
The game was not pretty but in the end it was effective for the Young Dons, they struggled to get their passing game together showing only patches of quality throughout the game. Sutton United came with a game plan to stop AFC playing and at times this worked but in the end Wimbledon just about deserved their victory.
There was an early chance for the Dons as a Harry Knock free kick was headed onto the bar by Matt Harmsworth. Wimbledon looked the more likely side to score early on with Cottee having a couple of long range efforts go wide as well. Sutton United had a great chance to take the lead when a slip at the back saw their forward break away, he passed inside to James Page who looked odds on to score but his side foot shot brought out a world class save from Jack Turner who somehow managed to dive across and palm the ball to safety.
AFC Wimbledon opened the scoring when a Luke Gambin corner was half cleared, in the resultant melee the ball fell to Matt Harmsworth who bundled it into the net from close range. Both teams had further half chances before the break but could not add to the scoreline.
Half Time 1 – 0
Sutton United were a more dominant force in the second half, hitting a post and midway through the half and testing the excellent Jack Turner in goal on a couple of other occasions.
The Dons always looked dangerous especially from set plays with Harry Knocks deliveries causing much concern in the Sutton defence. From a set piece move Callum Dunne hit the bar with a thumping header from a Knock cross whilst Rhys Turner thought he had scored when his header was superbly saved by the Sutton keeper at the far post.
James Cottee was replaced by Joe Jackson in the 70th minute and Luke Gambin was also replaced five minutes later by Ethan Pinnock. The game ebbed and flowed but in the last quarter Sutton pressed hard for an equaliser and were rewarded with ten minutes of the game left when a corner was only cleared to just outside the box and a challenge on a Sutton player led to a free kick being awarded. Robbie Drewitt hit a superb dead ball round the wall to send the game into extra time.
Full Time 1 – 1
AFC Wimbledon looked far the stronger side in extra time dominating the first period. Matt Harmsworth had a left foot drive well saved by the keeper's legs as the Dons began to overrun their opponents. The winning goal came 10 minutes into extra time as another Harry Knock cross found the unmarked Callum Dunne at the far post, his powerful header beating the Sutton keeper comfortably.
The second half of extra time saw both sides looking very tired and with very few chances created it was a huge relief to hear the final whistle blow and cue the AFC Wimbledon celebrations.
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