2001
 
Friday, 03 August 2001
Friendly
Griffin Park
Attendance: 1,550
 
Brentford
0 (0) - (2) 4
Wimbledon
David Connelly (2), David Nielsen, Mark Williams
17
Ólafur Gottskálksson
25
Michael Dobson
19
Paul Gibbs
3
Ijah Anderson
5
Darren Powell
15
Ívar Ingimarsson
7
Paul Evans
30
Eddie Hutchinson
9
Lloyd Owusu
10
Scott Partridge
99
Jason Price
--
98
Stephen Hunt
Sub
27
Jay Smith
Sub
26
Mark Williams
Sub

Another impressive performance spearheaded by David Connolly saw the Dons crush Brentford at Griffin Park.

Connolly proved to Dons supporters once more that he may well be an astute signing by Terry Burton by grabbing two goals in the first-half, six days after he bagged a hat-trick at Northampton.

Over 250 Dons supporters were in good voice and left the ground in good spirits as Burton's side provided enough signs to show that they will be involved in the promotion shake-up in the season ahead.

It took Connolly just five minutes to open his account when he latched onto Neal Ardley's pass and guided the ball over the on-rushing Olafur Gottskallsson.

The Bees had no answer to the Dons slick passing and movement and it was no surprise when Connolly grabbed his second with a delicate lob over Gottskallsson after Ardley helped on Darren Holloway's long ball.

Burton swapped Neil Shipperley for David Nielsen five minutes after the restart and the former Danish under-21 international made an immediate impact when he bamboozled the home defence with a clever back-heel before lashing the ball into the roof of the net.

Both sides made several changes in the second-half and it was one of the Dons' replacements who created the fourth goal. Jobi McAnuff, who has impressed throughout pre-season, used his pace to good effect before being brought down by Eddie Hutchinson on the edge of the area. Neal Ardley curled a delicious free-kick into the Brenford box and Mark Williams arrived unmarked to head past Gottskallsson to seal a convincing win.

Terry Burton was in buoyant mood after the win, "Brentford have had a good pre-season and had two wins already, so we knew it would be tough," he said. "However, you've got to be pleased and after watching that tonight I certainly am."