IF AFC Wimbledon are planning on gate-crashing the Blue Square Premier play-offs then three points are an absolute must from their trip to Bootham Crescent tonight.

Although a draw with the Minstermen would theoretically keep their post-season hopes alive, manager Terry Brown’s men really need a win if they are to make a serious run on fifth place.

Having played the same number of games – 39 – as York, the Dons are ten points behind Martin Foyle’s men in seventh place and a home win tonight would end their promotion ambitions.

Stevenage showed the gap between top and the fringes of the play-offs when they beat Wimbledon 3-0 on Easter Monday – scoring twice in the first 12 minutes.

Brown had rested players for the Histon game, a match they won 3-1 last Saturday, but Paul Lorraine, Steven Gregory, Ricky Wellard, Will Hendry and Luke Moore all returned against the league leaders.

With Mansfield to come after City, Brown was coy in the immediate aftermath of the Stevenage defeat about who would be in his starting 11 for tonight’s clash.

More worrying will surely be the Dons’ indifferent form in recent weeks.

Since toppling Luton at Kenilworth Road on February 20, Wimbledon have won just two of their eight games – with Eastbourne and Histon the victims.

Striker Danny Kedwell remains the Dons’ leading marksman, having plundered 20 in the league and 22 goals overall this season.

Strike partner Jon Main has 11, but he hasn’t featured since suffering a nasty gash to a shin in a Surrey Senior Cup match against Chipstead last month.

He is missing for the rest of the season after damaging knee ligaments.

Brown will be expecting his side to pose a bigger physical presence against York – threatening to axe those who fail to cope with the demanding nature of non-league football.

He has set his men a summer target of strengthening up and said: “It’s about power and strength and some of our boys will get bigger and stronger.

“Those that don’t, we’ll have to wave goodbye to.

“We’ll have to get younger, fitter boys in.”


Match facts

THIS marks AFC Wimbledon’s first visit to Bootham Crescent, but the original Wimbledon club made four trips in the Fourth Division in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The first meeting here, in April 1978, was drawn 1-1, while the Londoners won on their three subsequent visits – 4-1 in 1978/9, 1-0 in 1980/1 and 4-1 when the clubs last met at York on October 16, 1982.

Brian Pollard was the scorer that day and the line-up was: Jones, Evans, Dawson (Busby), Sbragia, Crosby, Hood, Pollard, Ford, Walwyn, Byrne, Laverick.

Wimbledon won promotion that season and for City it was the only home defeat of the campaign.

It happened on April 7

1950: A Good Friday Bootham Crescent crowd of 12,382 saw bottom of Division Three North City lose 3-0 to Rotherham United.

1956: Arthur Bottom (2), Jimmy Prescott and Clive Colbridge netted in a 4-0 home win over Darlington watched by 8,435 and City were tenth in the Northern Section.

1958: In an Easter Monday fixture Norman Wilkinson scored in a 1-0 home victory over Southport in front of 6,417 and City were 20th in Division Three North. The game marked Billy Fenton’s last appearance for the club.

1990: Steve Spooner and Gary Himsworth scored in a 2-1 win at Doncaster Rovers and City were mid-table in Division Four.

2007: A 2-1 win at Burton Albion and City were fourth in the Conference. The marksmen were Martyn Woolford and Craig Farrell.

Compiled by David Batters