AFC Wimbledon 3 AFC Wimbledon Youth 2
West Surrey Youth League - League Cup Semi Final - Sunday 4 February 2006
In an evenly-contested, pulsating game played in a good spirit, AFC reached the League Cup Final with a goal in injury time. However, it would have been a very different outcome if the AFC Youth strikers had taken their chances when clean through on goal no less than four times. AFC Youth were at full strength apart from the injured Matthew Braben, and Luke Ewing who was still missing with flu.
After an evenly-balanced opening ten minutes, the AFC defence suddenly opened up when Timi da Silva burst through to take a through ball in his stride, but with only the keeper to beat, he screwed his shot wide of the goal. Three minutes later Nick Greaves produced an excellent diving save to keep out a powerful shot from 20 yards. The AFC Youth defence looked fairly tight with David Fayinor well shackled by Jack Malin, and likewise their opposite numbers largely had the measure of Timi da Silva. Almost all of the AFC Youth attacks went down the left, but Paul Nicholls was often crowded out when attempting his runs. There was much more space down the opposite flank, but this was little exploited with the AFC Youth forward play remaining largely one-dimensional. On 24 minutes AFC went in front completely out of the blue with a very fortunate goal. The fates were certainly against AFC Youth when an inaccurate, but well-struck cross ricocheted off the back of a forward, and then looped into the top left-hand corner of the net. AFC Youth responded with a fine passing move that saw Timi da Silva sweep into the opposing penalty, but with Matthew O'Brien unmarked and screaming for the cut back, the striker elected to weave unsuccessfully through a crowd of defenders. In contrast to last week's encounter, the AFC Youth midfield were well matched by the opposition, and so the game remained very evenly contested. Nevetheless, on the half-hour mark AFC Youth shipped a second goal when a free kick on the left was met with a back-header some fifteen yards out. Somehow the ball eluded the entire AFC Youth defence and skidded into the bottom corner of the net. Within five minutes AFC Youth reduced the deficit from a corner, when a AFC defender, under pressure, scored an own goal giving Robert Marsden no chance A number of the corners were then forced at either end with no end product.
The second half was littered with stoppages for petty fouls, but the pace and standard of play remained high. Timi da Silva and David Fayinor remained tightly marked, and the play revolved mainly around the midfield or down the flanks. Certainly, Sonny Russell and Tee-Jay Ryan were being given more than a run for their money in the midfield battle. David Fayinor, who had made little impression until now, went very close with a spectacular bicycle kick that flew inches wide of the post. As the game progressed towards the hour mark, the play began to open up and both sides began to create chances. First AFC sent a fierce shot narrowly wide after breaking through down the right, but then came the AFC Youth equaliser. After some excellent play by Troy Murray, the ball was laid back for Sonny Russell to send an explosive 15-yard shot zooming through a crowd of players and into the net. Not long after David Fayinor had the ball in the net after Nick Greaves pushed out a fierce shot, but the goal was ruled out for offside. The play went straight down the other end, and after winning a corner AFC Youth netted, but the referee disallowed the goal for an infringement. The AFC defence now began to wobble, and they were very lucky to survive when Timi da Silva ran them off their feet, but after rounding the keeper, he lost control at the critical moment and the ball went behind for a goal kick. The profligate finishing continued for AFC Youth when Timi da Silva was sent racing clear again, but this time instead of placing the ball to the side of the keeper, he elected to lob the keeper at close range and the ball struck the crossbar. After this let off, the play evened out again, but ten minutes from time AFC Youth should have sealed the victory. Troy Murray stormed clear after running onto an accurate ball over the top, but having side-stepped the advancing keeper, he screwed the ball well wide of an open goal. The missing of this "sitter" proved very costly, because in injury time, a free kick was driven from the left into the AFC Youth penalty area. The slack marking by the two-man detail on David Fayinor enabled him to score AFC's third goal, and so assure his side were victorious with his only his second shot on goal in the entire game. So AFC Youth's 36-match unbeaten run had finally come to an end, but neither side deserved to lose this entralling encounter, and the difference between the sides was in the taking of the chances. AFC Youth had the four best chances in the game, but did not convert a single one.
Reporter's man of the match: Charlie Dennis & Jack Malin
Team: Nick Greaves; Sam King, Jack Malin, James Snishko, Charlie Dennis; Matthew O'Brien, Sonny Russell, Tee-Jay Ryan, Paul Nicholls; Timi da Silva, Troy Murray. Sub: William Taylor, Scott Fullerton