Close, but not close enough

For 45 intriguing minutes, reputations counted for nothing as the unpretentious New Forest club seriously ruffled the feathers of the record-breaking leaders of the Ryman Division 1.

But, in the end, class told for the lofty south Londoners, whose devoted army of followers boosted Saturday's gate to 920 - ten times the average league attendance at Bashley Road.

"We were close, but not close enough," summed up Bash boss Geoff Butler, after seeing Danny Gibbons' chested eighth-minute opener erased by second-half headers from Dons' duo Matt Everard and Martin Randall.

Amazingly, it was the 78th league game unbeaten for the history-making Dons, who were formed three summers ago by fans of the old Wimbledon FC disenchanted with the move to Milton Keynes.

Having swept all before them in the Combined Counties League last season, the Dons are red-hot favourites to storm straight through to the Ryman Premier.

Butler rates them worthy championship material, yet the perfectionist in him was still disappointed to see Bash press the self-destruct button in the second half.

Both Dons' goals emanated from set-pieces which, in Butler's book, were entirely avoidable. "The difference today was that we made mistakes and they didn't," he said. "Wimbledon didn't beat us, we beat ourselves. It took us to mess up and give them the game.

"We gave away needless corners, our keeper Stacey Harper came racing out when he didn't have to and Danny Potter didn't want to head a ball, which put them on the attack again.

"Is it lack of experience, lack of knowledge or lack of quality?" he asked. "I suspect it's a bit of everything rolled into one.

"We've got some good, honest lads, but we can't get over the final hurdle - and we're not going to all the time we've only got 11 senior players.

"Wimbledon are too big, too strong and too good for anyone else to win this league, but what they've also got is a big squad, which we haven't."

Bashley's numbers were whittled down further by losing defender Paul Gazzard to suspension, while loan midfielder Luke Byles has returned to Havant & Waterlooville with a virus which could sideline him for up to a month.

Even so, it was the Foresters who made the more purposeful start, jolting their lofty visitors with a quality early goal. Chris Ferrett played a raking ball down the left which Andy Culliford duly crossed for the on-rushing Danny Gibbons to chest past keeper Danny Naisbitt from three yards.

It was only the 13th league goal Dons' miserly defence had conceded all season, but they could easily have folded again three minutes later when first Gibbons, then Chris Knowles failed to connect with another tempting Culliford ball.

The shock of it all was clearly too much for Naisbitt who blatantly handled outside the area on 15 minutes only for ultra-lenient Basingstoke referee Tim Ingram to let it go unpunished.

The official further incensed the heavily outnumbered home fans when speed machine Richard Gillespie forced Jay Conroy into an error that would have put him clean through. But frustratingly for Bash, the ref pulled the game back for a free kick against Conroy rather than play the advantage.

Somewhat surprisingly, it took Wimbledon 38 minutes to force their first corner. The pick of their first-half chances had been a fierce, low drive from Chris Gell which Harper - recalled to the side in place of the released keeper Alan Walker-Harris - kept out with his legs.

While Wimbledon went off to an ear-bashing from their manager Dave Anderson, Bash must have wondered how the Londoners had strung together such a long, unbeaten run.

They soon found out.

Dons finally lived up to their pedigree in the second half, forcing the Foresters into some costly errors.

Harper blotted his copybook on the hour when he needlessly charged out of goal and unsettled his defence at the expense of a corner. Ryan Gray delivered it to the far post where Matt Everitt weighed in with a towering header to level 1-1.

Although Bash had their chances - notably a curling Culliford free kick and a deflected Graeme Gee drive - it was Wimbledon who looked the likeliest to nick it, hitting the bar through Gray.

Heartbreakingly for Bash, the winner came with just three minutes of normal time remaining. A Gareth Graham corner from the left was played back to the taker, whose byeline cross was met with a downward header from Martin Randall.

Butler fumed: "Graeme Gee, one of our senior players, didn't give a thought to stopping their fella getting to the byeline, although in his defence he wasn't very well and was breathing badly.

"You can't knock our players too much but I'm just annoyed that, for all our commitment and effort, we made mistakes.

"Wimbledon didn't split us open, they beat us with two set pieces."

Bashley 1 - AFC Wimbledon 2