It was hard to pinpoint the exact reason for the Dons’ second home defeat in the space of four days, a loss that made their already fading playoff hopes even fainter. Had they run out of luck? Run out of steam? Run out of players? Run out of form? Or just plain run out of ideas? If truth be told, you could put this single-goal defeat down to a combination of all five elements, all as telling in their contribution as anything any of the Rushden & Diamonds players made on a damp afternoon.

After Tuesday’s hugely disappointing 2-0 defeat at the hands of lowly Barrow, Terry Brown and Paul Lorraine had both publicly promised significant changes to the starting line-up. But the only victims of the manager’s swinging axe were full-backs Jay Conroy and Derek Duncan, leaving several other Wimbledon players breathing a collective sigh of relief at retaining their starting places. Jon Main’s untimely cruciate tweak brought Will Hendry into the starting line-up in midfield, with Sam Hatton and Brett Johnson taking the seemingly poisoned chalices of the full-back berths.

The Dons at least started brightly, and with only six minutes gone the Diamonds’ captain Jamie Stuart did well to block Glenn Poole’s drive from just inside the box after the former Brentford midfielder’s quick feet had created the game’s first opening. The highly rated Lee Tomlin then tested James Pullen’s alertness when his first-time shot from wide on the left seemed set to drift into the far corner, but the Dons keeper was thankfully aware of the danger and tipped the ball over for a corner which came to nothing. Poole and Ricky Wellard then created the Dons’ first real chance of the game, combining well down the left, and from Poole’s chipped cross to the far post Danny Kedwell’s head made contact with both the ball and Rushden defender Curtis Osano, and the effort cleared the bar.

Pullen then seemed to make a couple of mistakes. First, he forgot to stop applauding Lorraine’s headed back-pass as it came towards him and had to react quickly to stop the ball from bouncing over his outstretched arms. And then, as he attempted a throw-out in the direction of Johnson, he seemed to not notice that ball had slipped from his grasp and was nestling at his heels; thankfully Diamonds’ striker Craig Farrell was none the wiser, and Pullen was able to pick up ball before Farrell could react.

That apart, the half was noticeable for little else. The Dons’ endeavour was matched by the visitors’, and both teams cancelled each other out in what was a disappointing, largely incident-free 45 minutes. It’s rare that the opening of a new tea bar makes it to highlights …

If you read enough match reports, you will be acutely aware that the phrase “turning point” is one of the most over-used clichés in sports journalism. But Will Hendry’s miss just three minutes into the second half warrants that description, because the balance of the game then shifted perceptibly towards Justin Edinburgh’s tenacious side. Ricky Wellard won possession just inside his own half, burst through a ruck of players and found Kedwell to his right with a neat pass into the striker’s path. Kedwell beat Robinson, got to the by-line and fizzed a low cross into the six-yard box. All it needed from the onrushing Hendry at the far post was a decent connection and the ball was only ever going to end up in one place, but he somehow, though mistimed his shot, taking all the power out of the ball. Rushden keeper Dale Roberts was able to make a save far more comfortable than he had any right to expect.

Against lesser sides, chances like that are likely to come every so often, but the visitors had won eight of their 13 league games in 2010, and within three minutes they took their only decent chance of the afternoon. O’Connor’s ball into space behind Lorraine and Ben Judge was latched onto by the offside-looking Farrell, and as Pullen advanced, the balding striker tucked his shot between the keeper and the far post from just inside the penalty area. Judge, Lorraine and Johnson all took it in turns to berate the referee’s assistant for not raising his flag, but referee Bull wasn’t about to change his mind.

Terry Brown reacted by substituting first Hendry and then Poole as Nathan Elder and Kennedy Adjei entered what was becoming an increasingly fractious fray, but despite their best efforts the Dons didn’t look any more likely to break their duck. Two Sam Hatton free-kicks, both won by the otherwise quiet Luke Moore, were blasted over, and Kedwell was cutting an increasingly frustrated figure as the Dons fired blank after blank and Rushden’s time-wasting was being executed with almost military precision. Edinburgh’s front six all took it in turns to collapse in writhing heaps, only to make miraculous recoveries. Substitute Jefferson Louis seemed to forget the plan for a moment, hopping towards the sidelines on his left foot after a slight brush against Hatton’s shin, only to come back on limping on his right foot.

The Dons didn’t trouble Roberts unduly in the last 15 minutes, an Elder shot arcing over the bar after yet more good work from the indefatigable Kedwell, and with minutes remaining Moore replaced Hatton as the dead-ball specialist but showed no more ability with his free-kick taking, his chipped effort into the box being comfortably swatted away by the commanding Curtis Osano.

Statistics-wise, Rushden had less of the play, fewer corners, fewer free-kicks (and, implausibly, fewer bookings) and fewer efforts on goal, but tellingly they triumphed in the only stat that matters - one goal to the Dons’ somewhat tame nil. Wimbledon were now seven points adrift of the playoffs and facing five league games in 12 days, starting with Tuesday’s visit of Wrexham. Could they yet resurrect their season after a largely unproductive March?