1944
 
Saturday, 10 February 1945
Friendly
Plough Lane
 
Wimbledon
FM|FE Webb, H Mackay
2 (1) - (1) 1
Pinner (reserves)
J Harrington
1
H Evans
2
F Gardiner
3
J Bromwich
4
F Briant
5
D Bessey
6
E Ashford
7
J Harrington
Goal
8
E Bingham
9
W Cresswell
10
L Fox
11
AG Allen

By the Saturday after the selection committee had put together a team to represent the Dons in their first game in nearly four years, their opponents for this auspicious event Pinner Reserves from the Harrow & District League.

Included in the line-up were two pre-War Dons captains, Frank Lemmer and Bert Bridge, and they were to provide the experience to lead the youngsters around them. All others were debutants. The first goal wasn't long in coming. With ten minutes gone former Queen's Road schoolboy Taylor, who had been with Chelsea Juniors, fired in a shot that the Pinner keeper, Evans, was only able to parry and Webb was following up to shoot home. Good work before half-time between Harrington and Creswell allowed the former to fire a swift cross-shot past Cains to level the scores.

The second half started with a hail-storm, but it took the Dons only five minutes to register the winner. Taylor was again the architect, beating the Pinner left-half and centring for Mackay to head home his first goal in his only appearance. Wimbledon had the ball in the back of the net once more before the end, but referee A. Champion, who controlled the game very effectively, ruled it out for offside, meaning the final whistle arrived with the young home side triumphant by 2 goals to 1.

  • Action from the game against Pinner reserves
  • The Wimbledon team runs out for the first post-War game.