AFC Wimbledon 0-0 Carlisle: Honours even as Dons hold on for a point

AFC Wimbledon played out their tenth draw of the season, the league’s highest, following a tense goalless draw with Carlisle United at Plough Lane on Saturday.

The Dons’ better moments came in the first half of the game, as they kept League Two’s leading goal-scorers quiet and created several dangerous openings. 

However, they dropped off massively in the second half and Carlisle showed why they are third in the table, as they grabbed authority of the game and had late chances through Callum Guy and Paul Huntington go astray. 

Josh Davinson nearly snatched a win for the home side when he met substitute Saikou Janneh’s cross with a firm volley that glanced just over. In the end, a solid point for the Dons against a top side. 

The Dons went into the came in a familiar mid-table position, sitting 13th and but just four points off the play-off spots.  

There was a debut for on-loan winger Diallang Jaiesimi, who arrived from Charlton in the summer. Chris Gunter replaced Huseyin Biler at right-back last week away to Leyton Orient and struggled in and out of possession. Lee Brown also replaced Jack Curries at left-back, so it was a slightly altered backline for the home side. 

High on life Carlisle fans chanted “is this a library?” minutes into the game and while it did not force a response from the crowd, the AFC Wimbledon players certainly took it to heart. 

Lee Brown received the ball from debutant Jaiesimi and drove to the by-line, whipping in a wicked cross that was blocked by Carlisle’s Jack Armer. The home fans bellowed for a penalty, but referee Darren Handley waved away any AFC Wimbledon protestations.  

The away side boasted the best goalscoring record in the league but struggled to create any noticeable chances in the first 15 minutes. Jon Melish registered their first shot of the game when his audacious free kick sailed aimlessly over the bar.  

Half-hearted appeals for fouls and stoppages in play halted the flow of play coming up to the half-hour mark, with both sides looking to measure their opposition and work their way into the game.  

The Dons rejuvenated their crowd when (corner taker) corner was put into a dangerous area, and it forced Carlisle goalkeeper Tomas Holy to scramble the ball away for another corner.  

It came to nothing, and the away side countered and won a corner of their own. Similar to Wimbledon’s, it was delivered with some serious quality and was met by a firm header from Owen Moxon, who forced Nik Tzanev into a fine stop.  

In a game that lacked innovation, Jaiesimi looked to please his new supporters when his industrious run down the left flank was halted by Paul Huntington, forcing an almighty roar from the Dons faithful; however, the resulting free kick was poor and was eventually cleared by Carlisle captain Morgan Feeney.  

Carlisle ended the half the better of the two sides, creating a golden opportunity just before the half-time interval. They worked a short corner which was delivered by Owen Moxon. His ball to the back post found Joe Garner who looked to have the simplest of tasks in heading home but he flashed the header just wide. 

The Don’s spectators would have been wanting much more from their team in the second half and the booming atmosphere they created at Plough Lane was not matched by the team’s performance on the pitch. 

The home side laboured in possession and resorted to half-chances for Josh Davison and Jaiesimi. However, at the back, they looked assured and were keeping the highest-scoring team in the league at bay for now. 

Carlisle pushed hard for a winner in the least 20 minutes as Wimbledon’s attacking outlet dried up.  

Jordan Gibson produced a lung-busting run to beat a number of Dons challenges before hitting the ball firmly and low into the box. Substitute John- Kymani Gordon looked destined to make contact with the cross but he got his timing all wrong as the ball ran under his foot.  

Johnnie Jackson attempted to tweak his attack by bringing on Saikou Janneh and Ali Al-Hamadi but they were ineffective. The same applied to the man they replaced, Jaiesimi, whose debut was one to forget. Life without Ayoub Assal drags on for the Dons up top. 

Carlisle’s siege on the Wimbledon goal continued as Paul Huntington’s snapshot forced Tzanev to tip the ball over for a corner.  

From the resulting set-piece, the ball was cleared out to the edge of the box as far as Callum Guy, who rattled an effort that was bottom-corner bound, only for Tzanev to produce a fantastic save to deny him. 

Wimbledon looked a threat on the counter, but it was not enough to trouble the Carlisle backline who had been relatively untested all game.  

The Don’s will be looking for a much better performance as they look to tighten their credentials for a place in the play-offs as they travel to high-flying Northampton on Tuesday.