AFC Wimbledon kept their play-off aspirations alive with a dramatic late winner against East Thurrock United, in arguably the most exciting match seen at Kingsmeadow this season. Anthony Howard's 94th minute strike sealed a 3-2 win when most, if not all, had reluctantly accepted a share of the spoils from this thrilling encounter.

With Chris Gell, Steve Butler, Dean Brennan, Andy Little and Wes Daly all unavailable, Dave Anderson was forced to ring the changes once more. He brought in Josh Lennie and Tony Battersby and lined the Dons up in an audacious 3-4-3 formation, switching Simon Sobihy back to his orthodox centre half role and asking Dave Sargent to play left midfield for the day. Dwayne Plummer played behind the front three, but there was no start on this occasion for Robert Ursell. Nonetheless, the emphasis was on attack and the Wombles duly delivered.

An early penalty shout was turned down as Dwayne Plummer appeared to be bundled over in the area. Scott Curley then scuffed his shot from the edge of the box. Tony Battersby's shot was too high following good interplay between Smeltz and Sargent.

The Rocks took their time to get going, but made their first chance on 14 minutes - Scott Holding's cross found Jon Turnbull, but Josh Lennie was alive to the danger.

AFC Wimbledon responded immediately with their first goal. A move that started on the left with Smeltz and involved Battersby, Wayne Finnie and Plummer was finished off by the right boot of Dave Sargent.

The Dons' tails were up. Anthony Howard headed Plummer's free kick onto the crossbar a minute later, and just seconds passed before another penalty appeal - the ball seemingly striking an East Thurrock defender on the arm.

Unsurprisingly the home side extended their lead on 18 minutes. Luke Garrard played Paul Barnes into the right channel, the pacy striker beat his marker and crossed hard and low for Smeltz to bundle in his 20th goal of the season.

The Dons were in control and they weren't in the mood to let up. Paul Barnes forced a good parry from Jamie Riley and the subsequent corner had East Thurrock defenders throwing themselves in front of another Barnes effort.

The game changed in a matter of seconds. After twenty five minutes of almost total control, the Wombles took forty winks. The visitors worked the ball down the left from a throw-in. Danny Hayzelden feinted to go inside Garrard but dropped his shoulder and made for the byline, delivering a pin-point cross that Darren Grieves powered home with his head.

Two minutes later East Thurrock were level. Lee Burns picked up the ball in acres of space on the right and, before the Wimbledon defence could make a challenge Burns had smashed the ball in the net.

The pendulum started to be swing towards The Rocks. Wayne Finnie nearly scored his second own goal in seven days, but Lennie's reflexes were sound. Sadly his parry landed at the feet of Grieves, but the striker blasted wide from inside the six-yard box. The Essex side then won a corner on the left and Grieves seemed to have secured his second headed goal of the afternoon, only to see it snatched away by Garrard's goal line clearance.

The Dons started the second half brightly with some neat one and two touch football. Plummer charged down a defensive clearance, looked up and put one on a plate for Barnes, who saw his shot hit the post and come back out.

Dave Anderson brought Richard Butler on for Tony Battersby. If the Essex side thought dealing with Paul Barnes' pace was bad enough, then Butler would be double the trouble. The substitution lifted the crowd and in turn led to AFC Wimbledon's best spell of the game.

A Dwayne Plummer free kick was deflected over the bar - though everyone in the round thought it had gone in. Moments later Plummer's cross found Barnes but he headed wide. Richard Butler drew a foul in a dangerous area and Plummer again delivered a good cross that Smeltz was unable to convert.

East Thurrock continued to counter attack when they could. Grieves was unable to keep his shot down when well placed and Burns brought the very best out of Lennie as he saved low to his right after Batt had been allowed to run unchallenged into the penalty area.

Butler teed up Smeltz from a Finnie throw, but the Kiwi International scuffed his effort. Paul Barnes blasted into the side netting following a bout of 'heading tennis' in the visitor's box. Barnes then had another attempt blocked and Plummer was too casual with the rebound.

Going into the last ten minutes of the match East Thurrock continued to dig deep, engineering a string of chances. Shaun Batt hit a speculator over after Steve Harrison and Holding had engineered the opening. Grieves got on the end of another Holding free-kick but this time his headed strayed well wide. Even Danny Dafter, the Rocks' centre half tried his luck from distance, but Lennie was equal to it.

The Dons replied with another wave of attacks. Plummer and Butler combined on the left, freeing Sargent whose cross was nearly met by Smeltz. He elected to volley the ball rather than head it, possibly a poor decision in hindsight.

Sobihy and Sargent played in Smeltz but there appeared to be use of the elbow on the Dons forward. The referee allowed play to continue and when the ball popped out to Barnes' he shot too high.

As the game reached ninety minutes, some home fans started to make their way to the gates, disappointed that a rousing display had not been rewarded with all three points. They will, no doubt, rue that decision for some time to come, for the real drama came in stoppage time'

East Thurrock had the first go, Batt robbing Sobihy on the Dons' left and playing the ball to Burns. The mercurial number seven got deep into attacking territory before teeing up Batt, whose effort grazed the post and out for a goal kick.

AFC Wimbledon took the game up-field once more and won a free kick on the left. The game was into its 94th minute. Substitute Robert Ursell delivered the set-piece, which was cleared, but the Dons worked the ball out to Barnes on the right. Barnes twisted and turned his marker before delivering the cross hard and low for Howard to thump past Riley.

The Fans' Stadium erupted.

The Rocks got the ball back to the centre spot as quickly as they could and, incredibly, the referee still felt there was time to be added. The visitors moved the ball down the left flank. The eventual cross was poor, but Burns got between the central defenders. It was a stroke of good luck that he mistimed his header completely.

So a pint of 'Last Minute Relief' all round. What's more, with Staines and Worthing faltering, the Dons still have high hopes of landing that coveted top five spot by the end of the campaign.

Brace yourselves' we have to go through it all over again at Walton and Hersham on Monday. And we can't wait!