Report by SJG

FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION FOUR

WIMBLEDON vs WIGAN ATHLETIC

9^TH September 1978

GAME, SET and MATCH TO THE DONS.

Latics were again busy in the transfer market and signed 24-year-old, former Liverpool and Port Vale striker, Derek Brownbill, on a one-month trial. Brownbill had spent the summer in the U.S.A playing for the Cleveland Cobras.

Unfortunately, the F.A. failed to grant international clearance in time for the trip to Plough Lane and thus he had to be happy with a watching brief.

Wimbledon had begun the season well and Latics could expect another tough test of their fledgling League status. The game could not have started better for the visitors, a Purdie corner was cleared but fell to CORRIGAN at the edge of the penalty box and he fired home a low drive.  Latics clearly gained confidence from the unexpected early lead and dominated the game for long periods. In fact, it took the Wombles all of 18 minutes to muster a shot at the Wigan goal. Denny latched onto a header from Cork and forced Brown into a smart save.

Wimbledon finally came to life and started to offer a little more in the final third, but Latics also carried a threat on the break and one move saw Smart linking with Moore who played in Gore but his shot-cum-cross flashed across the face of goal. Ketteridge was showing a good range of passing in the Wimbledon midfield, but Cork was being well marshalled by young Noel Ward and thus the main goal threat for the home side was being nullified.

 Half Time; Wimbledon 0-1 Wigan Athletic.

The second half started in similar fashion, then on the hour mark Dons striker Alan Cork sustained a bad knock and was replaced by Knowles. Latics continued to have the better of the exchanges and Crompton and Corrigan were proving a real handful for their markers. Then lady luck decided to take a hand in proceedings, DENNY fired off a shot and it deflected wildly off Ward before dropping into the back of the Latics net with Brown completely helpless.

Latics went straight back onto the offensive with Gore seeing a shot blocked by the keeper’s legs, then as Corrigan raced in to hammer in the rebound the Wigan man lost his balance, missed his kick, and the chance was gone.

Then disaster struck, a Wimbledon free-kick was struck goalwards and struck Smart, who was unsighted, on the hand, Penalty!  EAMES stepped up and sent Brown the wrong way with a cooly taken spot kick.

In injury time Latics had a penalty shout of their own, as the ball struck the hand of Bryant on the goal-line, however, the referee waved play on and Wigan were left to rue their bad luck, and Hinnigan was booked for his protestations.

The journey home was made worse with the news that Crewe had won, leaving Latics rock bottom of the League table. One thing is for sure, as the song says; ‘The only way is up baby!’

Full Time; Wimbledon 2-1 Wigan Athletic.

Attendance; 3,217

Scorers; Corrigan (1); Denny (67); Eames (73, pen);

Team; WIGAN—Brown; Smart, Gillibrand, Ward, Hinnigan; Corrigan, Wright, Gore, Purdie; Crompton, Moore; Unused Sub; Davids;

WIMBLEDON—Goddard; Bryant, Eames, Galvin, Donaldson; Ketteridge, Galliers, Leslie, Parsons; Denny, Cork; Sub; Knowles (for Cork);

Referee; Mr B. Hill (Wellingborough)