Young Grecians beaten by the Dons
EXETER CITY’s Under-18s suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat to AFC Wimbledon to put an end to their resurgence in form in Merit League One.Despite picking four points up from their previous two fixtures, they faced an in-form Dons side who had previously gone eleven games unbeaten, and they would prove to be too good for an under-par City side.
Wimbledon asserted their authority early on, and scored the vital first goal on nineteen minutes. A through ball found its way into the Grecians’ penalty box, and despite the desperate attempts from Exeter’s defence, a twelve-yard finish was clinically dispatched to give the home team the lead.
The Devon club showed their fighting side to stay in the game, keeping the AFC score down to just one with a combination of saves and blocks, whilst in possession, the midfield began pulling the strings in reply to the early setback.
On the stroke of half-time though, the hosts doubled their advantage, with the Dons striker converting wish chance on the second attempt to take Wimbledon into the interval with a two-goal lead.
The south east club added a third goal in the early stages of the second half. A twenty-yard curling effort crept inside the post to effectively end the contest.
Under-18s coach Lee Skyrme looked to his bench for inspiration, and his substitutions made a positive influence on his team’s performance.
The last fifteen minutes was perhaps the best spell for the Grecians in the game, and they were unlucky not to score consolation late on when the hosts’ goalkeeper made a fine save in the latter stages.