View from Kingsmeadow, Volume 57: Dons on Another Losing Streak

Terry Brown's AFC Wimbledon were hoping to rebound from a tough 3-1 defeat to Crewe Alexandra when they had another go at league leaders Crawley Town in Football League Two action at Kingsmeadow.

"The lads have been in great spirits this week and training has gone very well," Brown told reporters on Friday. "We are looking foward to Saturday's game and expect that it will be as tight as all the previous games between the clubs.

"We are well aware of their talent and strength in depth but right now I have a squad that is brimming over with confidence and they can't wait for Saturday to come round every week."

A full house was expected between two newly-promoted sides from the Football Conference National. Last season, Steve Evans's Red Devils blazed their way to the Conference title with a record of 31-3-12 (105 points), 15 points better than second-place Wimbledon, who qualified through the promotion playoffs.

Top goalscorer Matt Tubbs returned to Crawley after scoring 40 goals last seson for the Red Devils. Tubbs leads the team in goals this year with eight.

Another player that the Dons defense needed to mark was forward Tyrone Barnett, who had seven league goals coming into the contest.

Chris Bush scored an own goal in the fourth minute to give Crawley an early 1-0 lead. Jamaican international Claude Davis made it 2-0 in the 10th minute of play.

AFC Wimbledon got back into the match a minute later thanks to an own goal from Davis. Jack Midson then equalized in the 44th minute with a screamer to make it 2-2 before the break.

That's as far as Wimbledon would get. In the 54th minute, Tubbs continued his stellar scoring form with a penalty conversion to make it 3-2 Crawley. In the 59th minute, Dannie Bulman made it 4-2, and the rout was on.

Just for good measure, Bulman made it a brace in the 84th minute. The final result: 5-2 to Crawley, and now the Dons are on a losing streak, moving down to 9th place on the table.

Two road matches are on the table this coming week for the Dons. On Tuesday, Oct. 25, the Dons take on Torquay United. Kickoff at Plainmoor is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. PT/2:45 p.m. ET.

On Saturday, Oct. 29, the Dons take on Shrewsbury Town at Greenhouse Meadow. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET.