Match Report: AFC Wimbledon 0 Walsall 1

Walsall began the game brightly, winning a corner just two minutes into the contest, as Riley Harbottle turned a Liam Gordon cross behind, however, nothing would come of the early flag-kick.

Another Walsall corner followed five minutes later, as the visiting side continued to seek early openings, but nothing would come of that either, as the ball in from Taylor Allen sailed harmlessly out of play.

The game continued as a rather scrappy affair, and thirteen minutes in, Jamille Matt picked up the first yellow card of the contest, as he was cautioned following a foul on Ryan Johnson.

Walsall continued to seek an opener, and won another corner for their efforts in the twentieth minute, as Jamie Jellis picked out Connor Barrett with a cross, with the number two seeing his strike from outside the box turned behind by Joe Lewis. Nothing would come of the flag-kick.

As we neared the half hour mark, Wimbledon felt they should have been awarded a penalty, as Omar Bugiel went down on the edge of the area, but the officials were unmoved by their appeals and the referee waved play on.

Wimbledon grew more into the game as it continued, and forced a save from the Walsall shot-stopper in the thirty-second minute as James Tilley floated a cross into the box for Mathew Stevens, but the strikers headed effort was easily saved by a well-positioned Tommy Simkin.

The hosts won a corner in the thirty-fifth minute, as they continued to press, with David Okagbue turning the ball out of play, but nothing would come of the set-piece.

Another Wimbledon corner followed just four minutes later, as the hosts continued to create opportunities, but again they were unable to make the most of the chance and the danger was cleared.

One additional minute was added to end a rather uneventful first-half, but there was little further action of note and the referee called half-time with the scores still tied.

The teams returned unchanged after the break, and the action got back underway. Walsall began the second-half brightly, with a long ball from Simkin finding Nathan Lowe, just two minutes after the restart. The striker broke free of his marker, but his effort on goal was easily saved by Wimbledon 'keeper, Owen Goodman.

Walsall skipper, Donervon Daniels became the second player to see yellow, as he was cautioned following a foul on Callum Maycock, in the forty-ninth minute.

The Saddlers opened the scoring in the fifty-second minute, as Okagbue crossed the ball across the face of goal, where Lowe was waiting to tap home his eleventh goal of the season.

Buoyed by the goal, the visiting side continued to press, going close again in the fifty-fifth minute, as Gordon weaved his way through the Wimbledon defences, before floating an inviting cross into the box for Lowe, but the striker would not find the target a second time on this occasion, as his headed effort was well saved by Goodman.

The hosts soon had the ball at the other end, as they looked to restore parity, with Bugiel finding himself in space on the edge of the area, but his low effort on goal was deflected behind for a corner, which came to nothing.

Wimbledon continued to enjoy a brighter spell, as they sought to get back onto level terms, with Myles Hippolyte seeing an effort saved by Simkin just after we reached the hour mark.

Tommy Simkin joined those playing on a caution, in the sixty-fifth minute, as he was shown the yellow card for time wasting.

Wimbledon opted to make their first changes of the afternoon, in the sixty-eighth minute, as Callum Maycock and Riley Harbottle were replaced by Joe Pigott and Isaac Ogundere.

The hosts continued to press as the game continued, winning a corner twenty minutes from time, which was swung in by Tilley and eventually fell to Hippolyte, whose effort on goal struck the crossbar.

Walsall chose to introduce their first substitute of the game in the seventy-second minute, with Charlie Lakin making way for Brandon Comley.

Alistair Smith joined those already listed in the referee's notebook, in the seventy-seventh minute, as he was cautioned following a foul on the recently introduced Comley.

A second Saddlers substitution followed, in the seventy-seventh minute, as Jamille Matt was replaced by Albert Adomah. Wimbledon also took the opportunity to introduce some fresh legs, as Mathew Stevens made way for Josh Kelly.

Walsall looked to add to their tally ten minutes from time, as they won a corner which was swung in by Jellis. The ball was initially cleared by the hosts, but only as far as Ryan Stirk, who controlled well before curling an effort goal-wards, but his strike sailed narrowly wide of the target. The visitors had felt they should have been awarded a penalty before winning the corner, as Jellis went down inside the area, but the referee did not agree.

The final ten minutes of the contest were a rather quiet affair, although, Brandon Comley did pick up a yellow card, in the eighty-ninth minute, as he was cautioned following a foul on Smith.

Five additional minutes were added to end the match, and three minutes into them, Omar Bugiel was shown the yellow card for a foul on Gordon. Ryan Stirk got himself involved in the aftermath and was also cautioned.

There was little further action of note, with Wimbledon never really looking likely to get back on level terms, and the game was brought to it's conclusion, with Lowe's goal enough to secure all three points for the travelling side.