The Dons have a dismal record in rural Essex. Their only previous Ryman Premier win came at the start of last season against Malden, while last season's other trips to Essex saw defeats to Chelmsford and Billericay and a point at Braintree. This year's visit to Billericay had done little to brighten the mood. The fans who made one of the longest treks of the season just two days before Christmas felt they deserve some reward for their loyalty, and Lewis Cook's last-gasp winner did just that.

Dave Anderson kept the line-up and formation that had seen them pull off the result of the season, at Aldershot the week before. With the Dons' injury crisis worsening, Under-19 striker Tommy Hutchings found himself on the bench for the first time.

The pattern of the first few minutes was pretty much repeated for the rest of the opening half: Wimbledon played some nice football and fashioned chances, while Heybridge defended stoutly. Roscoe Dsane recorded the first shot of the day early on, but Danny Gay in the home goal pawed his shot down. A Heybridge defender cleared the ball, but only to Lewis Cook; the Dons kept the ball well and the home defence couldn't get near enough to them to clear the danger. The ball was worked to Steve Watson, and though his shot was always curling wide it was a bright start for the visitors.

Cook was having a very effective game for Wimbledon. Every time he got the ball he looked to take on his man and deliver balls into the box, even if on occasion he was let down by the lack of targets in the penalty area. Heybridge's attacks were few and far between. Richard Jolly had Andy Little scrambling to recover the ball after he stabbed a shot goalwards, but the Dons continued to look most likely to break the deadlock.

Antony Howard headed over when another Cook delivery into the box was not dealt with, and the ball bounced to him on the edge of the six-yard box just before half-time. It was to be the defender's last action of the game, as minutes later he had his eye cut open by the flailing arm of Heybridge striker Sean Marks. It wasn't the first time the Swifts player had raised his arm in a dangerous way, and it wasn't to be the last. Wimbledon went into half-time much the happier with their efforts: they had played the better football and created the better chances.

Howard's bruised and battered face saw Paul Lorraine made his Dons debut in the second half. The Fisher central defender had joined on loan the week before. Heybridge striker Marks earned himself a deserved yellow not long into the second half when an arm into the face of Lorraine stretched the referee's patience too far. The Dons could not recover their rhythm from the first half, and the second half broke down into a nasty, scrappy affair with both sides picking up yellow cards for challenges.

The disjointed nature of the second period seemed to suit Heybridge better, and they created the better chances, Sam Keevil shooting straight at Little from the edge of the box and Jolly dragging a cross/shot past the keeper's far post. By this stage the bookings had mounted up -- Steve Watson for jumping in after mis-controlling the ball, and Chris Gell after arriving late for a tackle. Heybridge centre-back Ian Wiles probably produced the worst challenge of the day, clattering into Cook late and high.

In this atmosphere it seemed inevitable that someone was going to see red. With ten minutes to go, Gell won himself an early bath. Jumping into a tackle in midfield, he missed the ball and caught his man for a deserved second card. The Heybridge player who ran thirty yards to shove Gell can count himself lucky that he received no caution himself.

This should perhaps have spurred Heybridge to push for a win, though they didn't muster a meaningful attack for the rest of the game, and with four minutes to go Cook struck. Wimbledon earned a free-kick centrally about eight yards outside the Heybridge box. The Dons man curled his effort over the wall, and despite Gay getting a hand to it the ball crossed the line.

Wimbledon calmly saw out the remainder of the game and took three deserved points back to South London, giving the fans what was hopefully the first of many successful days out in Essex.