View from Kingsmeadow, Volume 18: Frozen Pitch Delight

After exiting from the FA Cup with their best-ever finish since reformation, Terry Brown's AFC Wimbledon returned to Football Conference National action on Tuesday to take on the Hatters from Luton Town F.C. at Kingsmeadow.

"The end of this year's cup round was disappointing," Brown said. He continued:

"It always is when you go out of a competition as famous as this. But we have to be straight with ourselves and I can honestly say that the best side won. On the day Stevenage not only overpowered us but played some good football to run out comfortable 2-0 winners.

"Having watched the DVD I have to admit the referee got all the major decisions right. However, the game will have been of great value, especially to younger members of the squad who haven't faced such a well-organised unit before. I have no complaints whatsoever about the work rate and commitment shown by us on the day but to have won on Saturday we would have needed everybody in our side to be on top form and sadly we didn't quite achieve that.

"I thought the players responded well in the second half both to the information given to them and the change in tactics, and the management team will be looking to see the advantages we gained out of tweaking the system."

Brown was optimistic of the match occuring, in spite of inauspicious weather:

"We fully expect that the Luton game will go ahead and we have yet again an opportunity of bouncing back in what to date will be our biggest game of the season.

"Having read the match report of their cup game against Charlton, it is evident that Luton come to us in a rich vein of form. We have to take advantage of the fact that of the five games they have lost this season, four of those defeats have been away from home.

"There are a few bruises and knocks in the squad and, obviously, Ed Harris will be suspended for this game, but right now I don't want to say publicly who is doubtful and who isn't. I can say that we've got a large enough squad to deal with such matters and we'll be putting out a strong team tomorrow night."

Unfortunately, that never materialized; after an inspection of the playing surface, the match had been postponed due a frozen pitch.

With winter's icy bite settling throughout all of England, attention was turned to the match with York City and the hopes that the Bootham Crescent pitch wasn't suffering from the same fate.

However, it did: On Thursday, it was announced that Saturday's contest between AFC Wimbledon and York City has been postponed due to a frozen pitch.

Up next for the Wombles is the First Round Proper of the 2010-11 FA Trophy against Braintree Town.

Kickoff is scheduled for Dec. 11, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. ET.