Manchesterfootball.info pays a visit to AFC Wimbledon’s new £32million home following their recent return to spiritual Plough Lane.
AFC WIMBLEDON 1, CREWE ALEXANDRA 2
It has been a remarkable 29-year journey back home for AFC Wimbledon, one many sceptics forecast would never happen.
And their new home at the former greyhound stadium is only a couple of hundred yards from the ramshackle Plough Lane ground which became synonymous with the Crazy Gang.
The Taylor Report, in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster, forced the Dons into a nomadic existence before finally returning to the borough of Merton.
Initially they were based at Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park before the club controversially was given permission to relocate 70 miles away at Milton Keynes.
That sparked the launch of the breakaway AFC Wimbledon 18 years ago as they began life at the bottom of the football pyramid.
Six promotions later and the Dons find themselves back in the third tier.
Having vacated their Kingsmeadow ground at the end of the 2019-20 season, they were temporary tenants at QPR until they moved to their 9,300-capacity home in early November.
Crewe were the sixth visitors and fourth in Sky Bet League One with the four league games to date producing one win, one draw and two defeats.
The newly promoted Railwaymen have acclimatised well and at Plough Lane extended their unbeaten run to seven games, four wins and three draws.
It has elevated them to 10th place and only three points shy of the play-off places.
Wimbledon, three places below them, were lifted by a terrific midweek draw at Sunderland, but disappointed against Dave Artell’s side.
Crewe made one change with Luke Murphy replacing Tom Lowery who was self-isolating at home – he was the lucky one as it was an eminently forgettable opening period in which neither goalkeeper had a save to make.
Crewe played some delightful football, they enjoyed nearly two third possession which is impressive for an away team but lacked a cutting edge.
Owen Dale had two good chances but blazed over and dragged another effort wide while Ryan Wintle’s deflected shot dipped narrowly over.
The Dons offered little with visiting goalkeeper Will Jaaskelainen never seriously troubled.
Within three minutes of the restart both goalkeepers had shots to save, though each was routine.
It remained a match to forget as each team cancelled out the other.
The out of nothing, Crewe snatched the lead on the hour with a terrifically worked goal.
Charlie Kirk released overlapping left-back Harry Pickdering whose low cross to the far post was converted by Mikael Mandron from almost on the goalline, his eighth goal of the season.
It was Mandron’s last contribution as he was replaced by 37-year-old Chris Porter who had been warming up before he scored.
The Dons went for a new-look front pairing as Joe Piggott and Jack Rudoni were replaced by Ollie Palmer and Ethan Chislett.
And they came close to equalising in the 84th minute when Ryan Longman’s effort was superbly saved by Will Jaaskelainen while Steve Seddon’s follow up was cleared off the line by Pickering.
The Dons drew level in the 90th minute when Longman made no mistake this time as he rifled a shot high into the roof of the net following a low cross.
Crewe quickly regained the lead in the first of four added minutes with another incisive build up down the left as Oli Finney was released by Porter’s flick to slot the ball low past Trueman for his fourth goal of the season.