The spark Wimbledon have shown in recent weeks was mysteriously missing in Saturday’s London One South clash with Sidcup.

There were glimmers of the proper Wimbledon, especially in the first half, with some good forward drives and a couple of nice runs from Jonny Rawlinson and Dave Charles – but the support was half-hearted and they never really looked like scoring.

Excellent Dons defence ensured that Sidcup couldn’t cross the try line either, but that didn’t conceal the fact that the visitors were justly 6-3 up at half time, with two penalties to Sidcup’s Jim Hardy and one for Dons' Rawlinson reflecting the visitor’s territorial advantage.

Fly half Dave Rees and prop Pete Wallace made good breaks early in the second half, but again lacked the necessary support and Sidcup once again looked the more committed.

The deciding moment of the game came 10 minutes into the half, when hooker Graeme Symons and then replacement wing Benoit Midol were yellow carded within 30 seconds of each other. Sidcup immediately exploited their numerical supremacy to score a converted try and then grabbed the first pushover try Wimbledon have conceded for quite a while.

From then on there was really only one team in the game and only some heroic tackling – one each from Charles and Jason Anquetil spring to mind – saved Dons from a more resounding defeat.

This aberration behind them, Wimbledon now look forward to a milestone in the club’s history next Friday evening, when they expect to exact revenge on Cobham’s early season win, in the first ever floodlit league game at their Barham Road ground (7.30pm).