Derby v Wimbledon 28/09/96 3.00Derby (0) 0 Wimbledon (0) 2 FT Earle 49 Gayle 70 Wimbledon's surge towards the top of the Premiership continued full steam ahead as Joe Kinnear's men made it five in a row against newly-promoted Derby at the Baseball Ground. Four wins in succession had lifted the Dons to the dizzy heights of sixth place, and second-half goals by Robbie Earle and Marcus Gayle maintained their startling recovery. The three defeats which opened their season now seem a distant memory and Derby were the latest side to be given a harsh lesson about life in the top flight. The Rams must have been wondering what all the fuss was about as they matched the aggressive Londoners stride for stride during an opening period that was full of commitment, but short on flair. However, the staying power of Wimbledon finally took its toll as they demonstrated the qualities which have kept them in the top division for over a decade. Both sides failed to get a foothold in the game during a first half punctuated by free kicks and, as a result, goalmouth action was at a premium. Derby duo Gary Rowett and Igor Stimac were both cautioned for fouls, the Croatian for unceremoniusly flattening Vinnie Jones, while another clumsy challenge by Earle earned the Wimbledon midfielder a yellow card from referee Alan Wilkie. Aljosa Asanovic tried desperately to kick-start the Rams into attacking intent, but the Croatian was the only man providing any inspiration among a sea of perspiration. Dons defender Chris Perry's magnificent clearing header prevented Dean Sturridge from converting substitute Lee Carsley's intellegent nod across goal and it took an expert save by Neil Sullivan to keep out a finely-struck free-kick by Jacob Laursen. But Jim Smith's men looked short on ideas to break down the typically combative Dons. Indeed, it was the visitors who went closest to taking the lead in the first period, when Neil Ardley hooked an 18-yard volley just wide after Jones' long throw had only been partially cleared. Derby's cause was not helped by Rowett's 18th-minute departure with a groin injury, Carsley entering the fray. There were encouraging signs that Sturridge and Ashley Ward - given his first Premiership start after a summer groin injury - were beginning to gel into an effective partnership towards the end of the half. But Derby never recovered after a wonderful piece of skill from Ardley enabled Earle to break the deadlock just four minutes after the restart. The Dons midfielder's turn left Chris Powell beaten and he then skipped around Laursen before delivering the perfect cross for Earle to sidefoot his third goal of the season from point-blank range. Derby responded by forcing three corners in succession, but the visitors' defence - in which Brian McAllister celebrated his Scotland call-up with another commanding performance - held firm. Christian Dailly was then twice denied far-post opportunities by last-gasp clearing headers by Perry and Alan Kimble, before the visitors broke away in devastating fashion to double their advantage on 70 minutes. Leonhardsen led the charge to feed Gayle and the Dons striker cut inside Matt Carbon before beating Russell Hoult with a low left-footed drive from 20 yards. Dons defender Kenny Cunningham became the fourth booking, for a foul on Asanovic, as Derby tried to respond to the the visitors' double. But they must have realised it was not going to be their day when Marco Gabbiadini's instinctive header from close-range flew over in the dying minutes. 
Derby: Hoult, Rowett (Carsley, 18), C. Powell, Carbon, Laursen, Stimac, Asanovic (Gabbiadini, 78), D. Powell (Simpson, 72), Dailly, Ward, Sturridge. Subs not used: Van Der Laan, Quy. Booked: Rowett, Stimac. Wimbledon: Sullivan, Cunningham, Kimble, McAllister, Perry, Jones, Leonhardsen (Blackwell, 89), Earle, Ardley, Ekoku (Harford, 89), Gayle. Subs not used: Heald, Clarke, Fear. Booked: Earle, Cunningham. Attendance: 17,022. Referee: A B Wilkie (Chester-le-Street). |
