In the early stages Wimbledon had more possession and more composure on the ball but on the whole our defence coped with them. We struggled to put together many attacks but a through ball down the left found Butterworth with a possible one on one with the Don's keeper. In stead, he came rushing out, almost to the touchline and just got to the ball before our player before the two collided. Totally innocent, no malice on either side, just two determined young men going for the same ball. However, the ref saw it differently and booked the BFC lad. Maybe he saw it as "studs up" but I thought it was harsh and I was probably only 15ft away.
Wimbledon went in 1-0 up and deservedly so in my view. I can only recall two attempts on goal from our lads, a weak shot comfortably saved and a header off target from a corner. They had clearly done their homework on Layton Campbell and he was very tightly marked by their number 65 defender. He kept putting his arm round LC's waist and Campbell kept grabbing it and pushing it away. Reminded me of the dates I used to go on as a teenager!
The first ten minutes of the second half we were much better. Attacked non-stop, looked more confident, raking the game to Wimbledon. We might even have equalised in a goalmouth scramble but somehow the Dons got it clear. Then they broke away, scored with their first venture into our penalty area of the half and you could sense that the Cup was staying in the south.
We continued to press forward with some strong runs from Richardson, Upton, and Knight, supported down the right by a willing Leliendal. Campbell was more involved but had no real opportunities to shoot, and while he was confident enough to try little flicks and dummies, they did not really come off on the day. We had a few opportunities, but no really sitters to be missed. Leliendal did have a good chance in stoppage time but he got his header all wrong. It was that sort of day. Wimbledon were able to sit deeper, absorb the much-increased pressure and always looked dangerous on the break.
In the end, they probably deserved their win even if 2-0 was a bit flattering. We huffed and puffed, worked our socks off and a few other modern day cliches besides but you could not fault their effort, determination and overall superior fitness. As Dave 1772 mentions above, the number of times Wimbledon players went down with what appeared to be cramp in the second half was astonishing, sometimes within a yard of the touchline, but the refereee made no attempt to tell the physio to take them off to the side. Their physio probably covered more ground in the second half than their forwards did!
I also endorse Dave's point about the difference in physique. I chatted to a Wimbledon regular follower at half time and we worked out that, on average, their players were around 9 months older than ours. And at those levels, 9 months makes a big difference.
On balance, it was a pleasant afternoon and enjoyably different from watching our first team throughout most of the season just finished. At Reading last Saturday, I left thoroughly disappointed and probably more so than some of our players. Yesterday, the reverse was true. Of course, I would have preferred us to have won, but I can't fault the effort from our boys. And they are still boys, don't forget.
After the final whistle and when they were standing around watching their opponents collect their medals and the cup, our lads were clearly feeling dejected. That is no bad thing. It should help their future development to know the pain of falling at the final fence and make it all the sweeter when they are successful next time.