View from Kingsmeadow, Volume 33: Hard Times Against Crawley

The Ides of March had AFC Wimbledon's number as they took on Football Conference National leaders Crawley Town on Friday, March 18.

And the injuries continued to pile up for the Dons, according to manager Terry Brown.

"Saturday's disappointing defeat was compounded by a very nasty injury to the returning Sammy Moore," Brown said on Monday. "Sammy dislocated his knee cap, and if it hadn't been for the brilliant work of the club doctors, the injury could have turned out a lot worse. They managed to put the knee cap back into position very quickly, and therefore hopefully avoiding any long term ligament damage.

"Sammy will be undergoing further tests later this week, but we are looking at Sammy missing the rest of the season. This will be a real blow to our midfield as Sammy has been an integral part of a successful season.

"We are hopeful that Sam Hatton and Christian Jolley can resume training by the end of the week as, in a perfect world, I'd like them both to be available for Friday's game. Fraser Franks is awaiting the results of last week's scan, and Ismail Yakubu is responding well to treatment on both his collar bone and knee.

"Gareth Gwillim has recovered well from the four stitches he received in a head wound later on in the game, and will hopefully train later in the week."

Even worse, the reserves dropped the Surrey Premier Challenge Cup final against South Park to the tune of 2-1.

"After a disappointing run of results over the last couple of weeks, this is the perfect game for us to lift ourselves up and get back to the level that we have performed at for most of the season," Brown said on Thursday. "We have worked hard this week at tightening up defensively and to ensure that we play our own game and concentrate on that."

The AFC Wimbledon manager was quick to point out that Crawley are on a tear and could be on their way to securing promotion with the many games they have in hand.

"We are aware of the considerable strength of Crawley's midfield and forwards," said Brown. "However, I believe that we should concentrate on our own play and try to take the game to Crawley. The atmosphere on Friday should add to what already is one of the most important games of the season and there is no doubt that we will have to be at our best if we are to contain an excellent Crawley outfit.

"Finally, one player who won't be playing tomorrow is Sammy Moore, but we have some good news about his injury. Sammy had an MRI scan today and it showed that there is deep bruising and tissue damage, but it is nowhere near as bad as it might have been—thanks to the prompt action of the club's doctors immediately after he was injured.

"When I say it is good news, these things are all relative—Sammy will still be out for about three months, but for a while, we feared it might be six. So he has high hopes of being fully fit again for the beginning of next season, and he has told the rest of the squad that he expects them to make sure that he returns as a League Two player!"

In a rather chippy affair that saw both sides go down to 10 men by full time, Brett Johnson scored in the 39th minute as Wimbledon fell to Crawley 3-1. The Dons never really recovered after giving up two goals in the first 10 minutes.

That being said, it is clear that the Dons are going to be locked in a fight for one of the four playoff spots, and so far, things aren't looking rosy at Kingsmeadow.

The reserves will be in action as they take on Beckenham Town on Tuesday in the London Senior Cup. Kickoff is scheduled for March 22 at 2:45 p.m. ET.

Wimbledon's first team will look to avenge their early-season defeat to Rushden and Diamonds on Saturday, March 26 at Kingsmeadow. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. ET.