View from Kingsmeadow, Volume Three: Goal Festivals

Terry Brown's AFC Wimbledon were licking their wounds from their 1-0 setback away to Rushden & Diamonds, but remained second on the Football Conference National table. The grueling pace of four matches in 11 days saw injuries to Ricky Wellard and Sam Hatton.

"Having had the chance to look at the DVD of last night's game we looked leggy and a little weak. The margins between playing your football and not playing your football are very small and they can be little things like the fullbacks working on getting their angles right and the midfield rotating a little more. We will be looking to tweak those areas during training this week.

"The players' schedule over the first week has been a very high workload with four games in eleven days, which certainly took its toll last night. Injuries to Ricky Wellard from Saturday and Sam Hatton early in the game gave an opportunity for both Rashid Yussuf and Ryan Jackson to have longer game time."

"At no time in the match did we get our passing game going and chances were few and far between at both ends," Brown added. "From [Rushden's] point of view their goal was a cracker but from our point of view, I felt we stood off the striker and allowed him too much room to get a shot away. However, an overall reflection of the start of the season sees us with nine points out of a possible twelve, one goal conceded and six goals scored.

"Last night's game highlighted the fact that there is still a great deal of work to be done on the training ground with what is a very young group of players who are still getting to know each other."

The passing and team chemistry will be needed more than ever as they made their trip to Priory Lane in Eastbourne, East Sussex to take on Garry Wilson's Eastbourne Borough F.C.

"Eastbourne have started the season with goals galore, having scored 12 in four games and our defence will have to be at their best to cope with a rampant Paquette and Taylor strike force," Brown said on the Sports. "We played them at a similar time last season and, as Wrexham will testify, this year it is a very difficult place to go if you are looking to come away with all three points.

"It is important as a group that we bounce back from Tuesday's defeat. It is easy to have good team spirit and a positive dressing room when you are winning, and looking at the boys' attitude in training today I fully believe we will bounce back on Saturday."

A brace from Danny Kedwell, with goals in the 31st and 90th minutes (of which the latter was the game winner), to go with Lee Minshull's first of the season in the 55th minute against Eastbourne goals from Simon Weatherstone in the 659th and Andy Atkin in the 78th gave Wimbledon a hard-earned 3-2 victory at Priory Lane. Combined with Luton Town's 3-1 defeat to Tamworth, it saw the Dons rise to first on the table.

“We have now only conceded three goals in five games, and this is one of the reasons we have started to well," Brown said on the victory. "We are celebrating being on top of the league for what I believe is the first time since 1977. I know it is only August but I would rather have the 12 points and our present position than being anywhere else.

“I hope our players learned something today, particularly that they shouldn’t take anything for granted. When we went two goals ahead people thought we would get three or four, but credit to Eastbourne, who never gave up, and at 2–2 looked as though they would go on and win the game. Once again the strength of the squad with Rashid Yussuff and Ryan Jackson coming on for the last 15 minutes gave us new energy and legs, and helped take us to what I thought was a deserved victory."

The Wombles went through a short turnaround to host Newport County A.F.C. on Monday night.

"Looking at [Newport] they have a great deal of experience and a winning mentality from last year's successful campaign," Brown said before the match. "As we are at home we are obviously expected to win although as Tottenham proved yesterday there is no such thing as a home banker in any league.

"As far as we are concerned I will be freshening up the side with one or two changes after what has been a very busy fixture list over the 14 days since the start of the season. The thinking behind this is quite simple. We have a talented squad that need games and when you play two games in 48 hours it would be foolish not to take advantage of fresh legs when possible.

"Our previous two home games have been similar in as much as the players and the fans have had to be patient before we succeeded in scoring late goals in both games. Dean will be no different from every other manager who comes here and will no doubt hope to keep the crowd quiet by not conceding early.

"Judging by Luton manager Richard Money's comments about Newport's performance at Kenilworth Road, where he praised their attacking intentions, we should be in for a fantastic and open game of football. I expect that Kingsmeadow will be a great sight and full of noise tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to it."

A 16th minute penalty by Kedwell and a 56th minute goal by Christian Jolley weren't enough to secure three points, however, as a brace from Newport's Craig Reed consigned the Dons to split the points in a 1-1 draw.

The draw puts the Dons in second, behind new league leaders Mansfield Town at 13 points.

Up next for AFC Wimbledon is a trip to Rockingham Road in Kettering, Northamptonsire to take on the Poppies of Kettering Town F.C. Kickoff is scheduled for September 4, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. ET.