MATCH REPORT: Dagenham and Redbridge - AFC Wimbledon (Sky Bet League Two)

Victoria Road, Matchday 8

Team Sheets not available at press time.

Pundits often talk about a halo effect in football. Games go a certain way for certain teams because of the reputation that precedes them (or particular players, or managers). Think Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, or Chelsea under José Mourinho, or even Leeds United under Don Revie. 50/50 calls go their way, strikers are marked less vigilantly, etc.

Could a similar effect be at work at AFC Wimbledon?

What was remarkable about the Wimbly Womblys’ performance today was how unremarkable it was. Their possession rate was just about half, their build-up play was good-but-not-great, and their finishing was objectively what you would expect from a League Two side. And yet we saw a Dag & Red squad utterly wilt under such a middling performance.

Other John Green tallied about midway through the first half from a close-range header taken from a cross from a flanking Francomb. Which is, again, precisely what you would expect from this team by now. You would also expect them to spend much of the rest of the game holding up the ball, frustrating the opposing attackers when not in possession, and generally forcing the other team to wear themselves out chasing the game- which is what happened. You expect overloaded flanks. You expect several near-misses. You expect questionable offsides calls. You expect sudden moments of late glory from crosses or set pieces (often, again, from Other John Green). And, increasingly, you expect Wimbledon to collect all three points.

What was unexpected at the beginning of the season- that Wimbledon would be top of the league without dropping any points after a quarter of the season- has moved into the realm of the elementary. Maybe even the inevitable. Like when you read a detective novel while trying to piece the mystery together in your head, and then when the answer is revealed you realize it could never have been anything else. Casual observers and pundits and suits at the FA have wondered how this AFC Wimbledon team could be winning as much as they are. The supporters are slowly piecing together the mystery of their club and coming to the realization that this team couldn’t have been anything else.

Dagenham and Redbridge 0-2 AFC Wimbledon

Scoreline: Other Green (WIM) 24’, Other Green (WIM) 68’

Discipline: n/a