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Greyfriars Bobby · 11-28-2018, 02:27 PM

28 April 2018

In the days leading up to the match, AFC Wimbledon manager Ian Wilkinson decided to talk some smack. After I had taken the high road and praised his team's quick passing style, Ian told a reporter our success was more a result of our opponents' complacency than our abilities.

I admit his remarks caused me to add an extra bit of zing to my pre-game team talk, and the lads could not have responded better. From the opening kickoff, we strung together some quick passes of our own--ten of them--before Tom Wilkinson stung Wes Clarke's palms. Mick Hart was first to the rebound, looked for a shot, and decided to slip the ball back to Aiden Harris. Five more passes found the ball at Paul Douglas's feet. Hart evaded his marker and snuck into the box, Douglas found him, and Mick slotted home. From kickoff to goal, the sequence took exactly 31 seconds.

On the quarter hour, Wilkinson got hold of a pinballing corner by Dominic Hutchinson and pushed it past Clarke to put us up 2-0. Wimbledon pulled one back in the 66th minute, but we held on for the result.

We had done all we could do, and now we had to see how Wrexham and Chester fared.

AFC Fylde had nothing to play for save pride, as they had already been relegated, but they chose to take a stand and upset Chester. However, Wrexham ended our hopes for a spot in the play-off by seeing off Grimsby Town.

So, the season ended like this:

Three more teams: Bishop's Stortford (44 pts.), Harrogate Town (44 pts.), and AFC Fylde (43 pts.) were relegated as well.

I'm very proud of what the lads accomplished this season. From 30 December to the end of the season, Wantage Town took 42 points from 22 matches. Stockport County also accumulated 42 points, but it took them one more game to reach that total. No other club had more than 39 over the same stretch. It's extremely satisfying to be able to say that for the season's final three months, Wantage Town were the best side in the Conference Premier.

I received a nice honor from my fellow managers, too.

The Best Eleven for the season looks just like I'd expect it to look. The All-Time Best Eleven welcomes Malte Seidel to its bench. I don't think it will take long for our German long throw specialist to push his way into the first eleven.

11-28-2018, 02:27 PM	#49
Greyfriars Bobby College Prospect Join Date: Sep 2013	28 April 2018 In the days leading up to the match, AFC Wimbledon manager Ian Wilkinson decided to talk some smack. After I had taken the high road and praised his team's quick passing style, Ian told a reporter our success was more a result of our opponents' complacency than our abilities. I admit his remarks caused me to add an extra bit of zing to my pre-game team talk, and the lads could not have responded better. From the opening kickoff, we strung together some quick passes of our own--ten of them--before Tom Wilkinson stung Wes Clarke's palms. Mick Hart was first to the rebound, looked for a shot, and decided to slip the ball back to Aiden Harris. Five more passes found the ball at Paul Douglas's feet. Hart evaded his marker and snuck into the box, Douglas found him, and Mick slotted home. From kickoff to goal, the sequence took exactly 31 seconds. On the quarter hour, Wilkinson got hold of a pinballing corner by Dominic Hutchinson and pushed it past Clarke to put us up 2-0. Wimbledon pulled one back in the 66th minute, but we held on for the result. We had done all we could do, and now we had to see how Wrexham and Chester fared. AFC Fylde had nothing to play for save pride, as they had already been relegated, but they chose to take a stand and upset Chester. However, Wrexham ended our hopes for a spot in the play-off by seeing off Grimsby Town. So, the season ended like this: Three more teams: Bishop's Stortford (44 pts.), Harrogate Town (44 pts.), and AFC Fylde (43 pts.) were relegated as well. I'm very proud of what the lads accomplished this season. From 30 December to the end of the season, Wantage Town took 42 points from 22 matches. Stockport County also accumulated 42 points, but it took them one more game to reach that total. No other club had more than 39 over the same stretch. It's extremely satisfying to be able to say that for the season's final three months, Wantage Town were the best side in the Conference Premier. I received a nice honor from my fellow managers, too. The Best Eleven for the season looks just like I'd expect it to look. The All-Time Best Eleven welcomes Malte Seidel to its bench. I don't think it will take long for our German long throw specialist to push his way into the first eleven.