Under-21s impress again in victory over AFC Wimbledon

AFC Wimbledon 0 Albion U21s 3: Vickers, Peupion and Moulton score second-half goals to keep Albion's Bristol Street Motors Trophy hopes alive.

Bruce Talbot

2024-10-29T21:30+00:00

Caylan Vickers takes the acclaim after putting Albion in front. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

Three second-half goals earned Albion an outstanding win over League Two AFC Wimbledon to keep their hopes alive of progressing into the knockout stages of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.

Our men's under-21s needed to win by three clear goals at Plough Lane to have any chance of progression and did exactly that, and now need Crawley to beat Wycombe on penalties in their final Group B match on Tuesday 12 November to reach the knockout stages.

Caylan Vickers puts Albion in front with a shot he bent into the bottom corner. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

This win was another excellent performance by Shannon Ruth’s team who were the more threatening throughout. Caylan Vickers’ precise finish and Cam Peupion’s wonderful free-kick put them in control before substitute Remiero Moulton made it 3-0 and, for a few weeks at least, lifted Albion into second place.

Ruth said, "I’m really pleased. We were ambitious to replicate what we did last season and go through to the quarter-finals and we felt that the Crawley and Wycombe games weren’t a true reflection of us.

"I’m super pleased because we gave the best version of ourselves in all phases of the game. Whether it’s enough to see us go through depends on the Wycombe-Crawley result but we were the better team tonight and scored three really good goals. To come here and get a 3-0 result makes me really proud.”

There was one familiar face in the home line-up in ex-Albion defender James Furlong and another, James Tilley, on the bench for the League Two side, who made ten changes to the team beaten by Port Vale in league action on Saturday.

Josh Duffus is denied by Dons' keeper Lewis Ward. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

The Dons had already qualified for the knockout stages while Albion needed a big win and it wasn’t until the last ten minutes of the first half before either side threatened after a cagey opening.

On 38 minutes Furlong came to Wimbledon’s rescue when his block took Josh Duffus’s shot wide after great work in the build-up by Jacob Slater and Charlie Tasker.

Four minutes later keeper Lewis Ward came out to smother Duffus’s shot after he’d exchanged passes with Peupion, who then went down under John Joe-O’Toole’s challenge but no penalty was given.

Wimbledon hit back and Callum Maycock was twice denied in the space of a minute, first by Killian Cahill and then by Charlie Penman’s block.

Albion went in front after 56 minutes and it was a fine goal too by Albion’s No56 Vickers, who bent a right-foot shot from just outside the box past Ward and into the bottom right-hand corner. In terms of chances created it was a deserved advantage and Albion went after more. Marcus Ifill’s cross just eluded Peupion and Duffus burst past a defender but Ward was equal to his low shot.

Cam Peupion bends a brilliant free-kick into the top corner to double Albion's lead. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

Back came Wimbledon and Penman blocked Josh Kelly’s goalbound effort before Albion doubled their lead in the 69th minute. Vickers was brought down 22 yards from goal on the left and Peupion bent a right-footed free kick over the wall and into the top corner – a quality strike by the Australian.

It was 3-0 with eight minutes to go. Ifill latched onto a long ball and went round Lewis and when the ball ran loose Moulton had the simple task of side-footing into an empty net with his first touch.

Marcus Ifill gets airborne to win a challenge. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood

Wimbledon finished the game with ten men after Isaac Ogundere went off with a bad cut to his head after contesting an aerial ball with Yussuf Owusu. Albion have done their bit, and all they can do is wait to see if Wycombe can beat them to second place.