Chelsea away in the league cup-What can the fans hope for?

When I was a kid, I used to go watch Scarborough every week with my brother. Although we were non-league (Northern Premier) we often used to roll reams over in the FA Cup, we were known for it. Often it was in the driving rain or snow, the pitch was like a ploughed field and the club motto "No battle no victory" said it all. Essentially we worked on the "if it moves, kick it" principle, and backed by a vociferous local crowd the league clubs often didn't fancy it.

Alas, "Giant killings" don't happen anywhere near so often these days. Yeah you might roll over the Arsenal youth team in the pizza cup, but when bigger clubs properly care about the result, they are rare. It's probably that the good pitches these days suit the more skilful teams, the rules applied to an extent where you can't really "get into em" like you used to, but whatever it is the smaller clubs are up against it.

So what can we expect, even hope for tomorrow? Well I think I speak for just about every Wimbledon fan except for my mate Bob when I say I don't expect us to win. That's not to say we have no chance, of course we have that, but we are 22/1 for a reason. I hope though, expect even, that we'll have a proper good go. That is despite us likely to be totally outplayed possession wise for long periods, and here's how I think we should approach it.

Firstly, an uncomfortable "given" in my eyes. Chelsea will score at least once, probably twice. To my mind, easily the most likely way we become heroes is with a 2-2 draw followed by a penalty win. I don't see us winning 1-0 or 2-0. Even 2-1 is stretching it. Drawing and going onto penalties is our best hope.

And why does that matter? Well simply because if Chelsea score, it really doesn't make that much difference to the eventual outcome. In my mind, we are going to need to score twice to get a result. Nothing really changes if they go 1-0 up, so absolutely no need for heads to drop. Even if they go 2-0 up by half time, we are to my mind still in it. Absolutely no need whatsoever to panic. 2-0 down with ten minutes to go and WE ARE STILL IN IT. Grab a goal from a set-piece and they will come under huge pressure to avoid the game going to penalties. To my mind it's vital that we prepare mentally for them scoring a goal, simply because they probably will. Too often lower league teams puncture like a balloon if they concede, there is absolutely no need at all.

Then in the game itself, we are going to have to properly get the basics right. We have defended set pieces very well so far this season, we MUST try to do the same. It would be criminal (and this often happens to lower league teams) if we do all the hard bits really well then give a daft goal away from a corner. So everyone has got to be at it. We are very likely (surely certainly) going to defend very deep to try and negate their pace in behind, so we need Alex Bass (who surely must play) not to get beat with a hit from range.

We are probably going to need some luck. Whether that's Chelsea missing sitters, hitting the woodwork or us scoring with a deflection, we are going to need all the help we can get. We've got to cross our fingers that the ref isn't going to bail them out of it gets close (thank God we aren't playing Man Utd on that score). Lastly, it stands to reason that as we aren't going to get many chances, we really need to be taking nearly all of the ones we DO get.

So lots of "we need this" and "we need that's", but we knew that already. The good news is that although we don't have players anywhere near equal to the level of theirs, we are currently a very good TEAM. Probably in terms of being greater than the sum of it's parts, we are a better TEAM than they are. We also have a striker who if we get the ball to him, WILL cause them problems. Pace is pace is pace, and allied to Ali's power and will, it is a rare combination. If we can get the ball forward with any quality at all, their defenders will know they've been in a game.

So can we do it? Probably not, but we've got more chance than Leicester did of winning the Premier League that's for sure. And whatever happens, we'll sing till we can sing no more, and if we score a goal you'll hear us outside Elys.

COYD!!!

Match Report: AFC Wimbledon v Forest Green.

Not often, but sometimes a draw in a game of football is pretty close to being spot on the fairest result. I think that was the case at a Plough Lane today bathed equally in monsoon and mugginess. 

Wimbledon started much the better, and I guess the one criticism you might level at us today is that we weren't ruthless enough. Had we been a couple of goals up before James Ball put us in front with a fine header, few would have been surprised. I suppose staunch Forest Green fans would be saying "hang on, we hit the post!" Or "What about that worldie save your goalie made?", but they wouldn't deny we bossed the first half.

No doubt though that in the second period they came back into it. Yes we had a couple of glaring chances, their keeper made a great save from Ali, but you could smell the goal coming before it did.

Troy Deeney made a difference when he came on in fairness. Despite looking like he'd just polished off the MyPie leftovers before having a half hour chinwag with Alex Pierce prior to appearing, he can still play. He began to barrel around with increasing purpose, and despite suspicions of offside toook his goal well.

There was still time for both teams to have a couple more chances. We could easily have won it, but then we could easily have lost it too. As it was, a draw was a fair enough result for what was in truth a bloody good game of football. I really enjoyed it, and I'm proud of this Wimbledon team.

Believe your eyes, we are a proper football team.

I like to open up with a bit of a statement, so here goes. If we continue to play in exactly the same fashion as we have in the first four games, we will win the league. Now before you all start putting together a Just giving page to fund me getting carted off by the men in white coats, just think about it for a second. We are currently picking up exactly two points a game (title winning form), we're unbeaten, we've only conceded one goal and we're now scoring freely (all ditto). When you add in that we've missed two crucial penalties and that our one concession was a deflected fluke, it becomes even more apparent that right now, we are a proper football team.

Easy start? Not a bit of it. We've played the supposed title favourites and shaded it in our only home game, gone to Grimsby and deserved our point (could have won it), then battered Colchester away and then smashed Sutton in the away game everyone dreads. Easy? You're having a laugh.

That's why I so vehemently disagreed when someone told me last night that we are "looking like a top ten team". Nowhere near, the league doesn't lie and right now, we are one of the best three teams in the league.

"So you're saying we're going to win the league now? After saying we should have sacked the manager last season?". Well no, not quite. What I'm saying is that we currently are in title winning form. Obviously we will lose matches, obviously we will have dodgy spells, obviously others will go on a run, but right now we are bloody good.

And what's it all down to? Well it's clear and obvious to everyone who's seen us play that we've recruited some bloody good players. Jake Reeves is a magician at the level, young Tilley another standout, while the two Stockport lads and the goalkeeper have made us a completely different proposition. So the recruitment has been very good (and we assume that's on Craig Cope) but there's something else going on here too.

Speaking as someone who was solidly in the "Jackson out" camp and made no secret of it, it would be churlish, childish and another "ch" word of which I cannot think of right now to not give credit where it's due. Building a good team of new players in a few weeks isn't easy, the manager, Skivvers, Rob & Bayzo deserve massive credit. Because not only have we recruited well, but there is something else going on here. It is an undeniable and immediately obvious fact that we are well drilled, well organized and supremely well motivated. That stuff doesn't happen by accident, nor does the obvious togetherness and spirit which saw the players rallying round Ali after he hit the bar yesterday. 

So our management team (and then by definition Johnnie Jackson) have done a superb job. It is looking increasingly likely that the decision to NOT listen to people like me is going to prove the correct one. When you have as many opinions as I do it is a certainty that you'll get it wrong sometimes, hopefully that continues to be the case here. I'm never happier than when someone sticks it up their critics then gets up off the canvas to win when all looked lost. It's even sweeter when it's me on the receiving end.

So will we win the league? Well the obvious and boring answer is that I don't know. My suspicion is that some of the deeper squads and pockets below us will utilize their power to reel us in. There'll be teams which have changed lots of players and started slowly that will gradually get the hang of things (that's the normal way, why we have been so impressive). It's not my suspicion but a statement of fact that we won't always play as well as we are right now. We'll lose games, get injuries, be unlucky, maybe lose players in the transfer market, there'll be choppier waters ahead.

So no I'm NOT saying we will win the league. I'm not even saying we will make the play-offs (although that looks more likely to me than my pre season prediction of 14th being correct).

I AM saying though that we are a good team. Don't rub your eyes, believe them. We are a bloody good side.