Defending lets Dons down again

Substitute James Mulley appeared to weave his way through the home defence in the 93rd minute before going down just inside the box following Aaron Webster’s challenge, but referee Steve Tanner dismissed the Dons’ appeals for a spot kick.

Sammy Moore and Charles Ademeno were both fit to start, but Terry Brown was again without striker Christian Jolley who is recovering from a pulled hamstring.

The Dons found themselves behind on 14 minutes, when in-form Burton striker Billy Kee was able to chest Aaron Webster’s cross and turn to shoot past Seb Brown.

Brown produced the first of several fine saves in another impressive display when he tipped Adam Bolder’s near post header over the bar in the 28th minute, but was beaten by Kee again a minute later when Brett Johnson’s decision to allow a bouncing ball to run through for him to come out and claim caught him by surprise.

The onrushing Kee got a touch against Brown just as the pair collided and was left with the simple task of putting the ball into the unguarded net.

If Terry Brown was frustrated at the defensive lapse which gifted the hosts their second, he will at least have been pleased with his side’s response, as Wimbledon enjoyed a better spell leading up to half-time.

Luke Moore was allowed to turn on the ball in the centre circle and advance towards goal before playing Sammy Moore through to cross to the far post, but the Dons failed to capitalise when nobody met Chris Bush’s header back across the six-yard box.

But the former of the two Moores halved the deficit shortly before the interval, following up his mid-week FA Cup winner at Scunthorpe with a composed 12 yard strike into the far corner after latching onto Rashid Yussuf’s deflected shot.

The Dons picked up where they left off after the break, with Ricky Wellard firing into the side-netting within a minute of the restart before Seb Brown was called into action again to parry Jacques Maghoma’s right-footed effort.

Ademeno and Yussuf combined well soon after, with the former Crawley man cutting in and sending a low ball across the goal mouth and just beyond the reach of Jack Midson after Yussuf’s lay-off on the edge of the box.

Goalscorer Luke Moore was replaced by Lee Minshull in the 57th minute, shortly after Brown saved from Bolder and Zola. Brown thwarted Zola again on the hour, holding the ball on the line after the Congolese striker made weak contact with compatriot Maghoma’s low cross.

But the 22 year-old keeper could do nothing to prevent Burton’s third. The visitors were undone by a fine breakaway from the Brewers in the 62nd minute, with Kee’s superb cross-field ball allowing Cleveland Taylor to cross from the right, and when Maghoma’s shot was blocked by Dons skipper Jamie Stuart, Bolder followed up with a well-struck volley.

Johnson went close for Wimbledon three minutes later with a glancing header from a free kick before Kee spurned an opportunity to complete his hat-trick, and the lively Ademeno was replaced by Ryan Jackson with 23 minutes remaining.

Things could have got worse again for the Dons when Maghoma dribbled into the area on 73 minutes, and it took a last ditch intervention from Johnson to deny Zola moments later.

But Wimbledon pulled another goal back with eight minutes remaining when Sam Hatton’s cross from the right was deflected in by Burton’s Aaron Webster.

James Mulley replaced Wellard and Brown stood tall to frustrate Zola once again two minutes later before the Dons pressed hard for an equaliser in the closing stages. Minshull headed just wide in the 88th minute, and Terry Brown was furious when Steve Tanner ignored the Dons’ appeals for a penalty after Mulley was felled in the box with a minute of stoppage time remaining.

The defeat leaves Wimbledon 13th in npower League Two, and means that Brown’s men will have gone two months without a league win when they host Accrington at Kingsmeadow on December 10, but the Dons now look forward to next Saturday’s FA Cup second round tie away to struggling Bradford City.