AFC Wimbledon v Charlton Friendly

I'm going to miss the Portsmouth game and Valley supporters' day this weekend due to family commitments so it was important to get to the AFC Wimbledon game on Tuesday evening.  

The Original "Dons"

Charlton has a lot in common with the true “Dons”, their current squad containing former Addick players Ross Warner and Harry Pell and both teams having stints at Selhurst Park when we lost our grounds, but I have a big soft spot for this club for other reasons.  I do like the fact that a group of fans said No to the owner’s proposals for the future of the club that ultimately became the MK Dons but more than that they actually did something about it.  When the players take the train and walk to the ground along with the fans you know it’s a proper club.  

Wimbledon Players Arrive

I arrived just in time to see the players disembark from the Charlton coach, and they looked relaxed and in good shape after their Spanish training camp. It was also good to see the team sporting the new kit for the first time on home soil.

With "Oh Verona" followed by the "Red Red Robin" and the "A team" theme tune I thought Charlton had pretty cool pitch entrance music but Wimbledon's music takes some beating.  Asteroid (we know it as the  Pearl and Dean advert music in the Cinema) blared around the ground as the teams took to the pitch closely followed by Keith Mansfield’s "Young Scene" (I have to admit that I had to use Shazam to identify it but look it up and you will recognise it instantly).

Cheer Up Johnny its only a friendly

Earlier in the day, Richard Cawley of South London Press broke the news on twitter that trialist Adamo Coulibaly who currently plays for Hungarian side Debrecen would play at the game.  The number 9 partnered Yann Kermorgant upfront.  There was mention of a lack of match fitness but he certainly carried a fair amount of speed on him and looked dangerous each time he had the ball with one shot hitting the cross bar in the first half and a second deflected shot leading to the opening goal from Danny Green.  An unselfish pass in the second, when he could have shot, set up a great chance for Hollands who failed to capitalise on a great opportunity and seconds later he came up with an attempted overhead bicycle kick.  With no deal in sight for Jonathan Obika I hope we sign Coulibaly.  By the way, If you're on Twitter, Richard is well worth a follow @RichardCawleySLP for the latest on the South London clubs.

Wimbledon played with good momentum and wasted no time in getting the ball back into play from free kicks and throw ins.  Their urgency paid off and the first half equaliser by an unmarked Alan Bennett header from a free kick was deserved.  The Charlton defence will feel disappointed in their first half performance a better opposition would have capitalised on it further.

Charlton Faithful

Pre-match warm up

With the team unchanged at half time I thought some of the players might get a full run out, especially given the cooler evening conditions.  Unfortunately this was not to be, as the second half turned into a bit of a farce with wholesale changes of players punctuating the game.  I must however give credit to all the substitutes as both sides maintained a blistering pace to the game until the end.  The 1-1 draw may be a disappointment to the travelling fans but was probably the right result on the night.

Lastly, can I ask all my readers to take a look at the campaign by the Charlton Supporters Trust to make the Valley an Asset of Community Value.   The petition takes advantage of recent government legislation to identify a building or other land that is believed to be of importance to the community’s social well-being. The aim is that, if the asset comes up for sale, then the community will be given a fair chance to make a bid to buy it on the open market. If the nominated asset, in this case the Valley, meets the definition of an asset of community value, the local authority will list it.  The petition can be found at the Trust’s website www.castrust.org

 

Please do take time to read the information to understand exactly what the petition is asking rather than glibly signing up but I think this is a worthwhile cause.  Further information on the community right to bid scheme can be found at the link below

mycommunityrights.org.uk/community-right-to-bid