AFC Wimbledon 3 York City 2: Worthington: We have enough to find safety

NIGEL Worthington hailed his York City team’s “character” despite this defeat at fellow League Two strugglers AFC Wimbledon.

The Minstermen are now hovering just three points above the relegation zone following a 12th game without a win.

But, after captain Chris Smith twice levelled the scores at Kingsmeadow, Worthington was left convinced that the team have the necessary fight to beat the drop.

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In his first match since taking over from sacked former chief Gary Mills, the former Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United left-back said: “If you score two goals away from home you should get something from the game, but the players kept going until the final whistle and showed a lot of character to come back twice.

“The situation we are in is staring everybody in the face and you either fight or buckle under the pressure. I’d like to think from what I have seen during my first week at the club and in the first game that there is enough in the dressing room to get the points we require.”

York fell behind on 21 minutes when Mat Mitchel-King volleyed past Michael Ingham from the edge of the box.

But, just before the half-hour mark, Smith headed in his first goal by converting Ashley Chambers’s cross.

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Gary Alexander then hit the bar for the hosts before Brennan Dickenson rounded Ingham to give the Dons the lead again on 61 minutes.

A second for Smith, who headed in John McGrath’s free-kick, gave York renewed hope only for Harry Pell to settle matters on 79 minutes by finding the net off the helpless Ingham’s left-hand post.

Wimbledon: Sullivan; Mitchel-King, Balkestein, Bennett, Meades; S Moore, Pell, Yussuff (Darko, 80); Midson, Alexander, Dickenson (Sainte-Luce, 67). Unused substitutes: Cummings, Jaimez-Ruiz, Long, L Moore, Strutton.

York City: Ingham; Parslow, Smith, O’Connell, Fyfield; Blair (Rodman, 66), Kerr, McGrath, McLaughlin (Walker, 66), Chambers; Rankine. Unused substitutes: Jameson, Potts, Doig, McDaid, Bullock.

Referee: Steve Rushton (Staffordshire)

Man of the match: Michael Ingham

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