For the second game in a row, a 71st-minute goal by a centre-half was enough to earn the Dons a hard-fought victory. Ed Harris's first strike in senior football gave AFC Wimbledon a 1-0 win at Blue Square Bet South form side Basingstoke Town and a potentially money-spinning FA Cup First Round tie.

After suggestions that Terry Brown would rest some of his first-choice XI and give some much-needed starts to the likes of Rashid Yussuff and Jon Main, the Dons boss promised that he would send out his strongest available side in this FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round tie. Basingstoke, with five wins in a row, should not be taken lightly, he said, and a good run in the FA Cup was one of his and the club's main priorities. As a game short on quality drifted into its final quarter, Brown might have been wishing that he'd rotated his squad after all. A slippery pitch, tenacious opponents and too many of his star players having off days all added up to the potential for the Dons to become the victims of a giant-killing by a side they were on a level with only two seasons ago.

With better finishing, Basingstoke could have been at least two up by the time of Harris's goal, for this was arguably the Dons' least impressive performance of the season. But fortune was on their side, as judging by the mutterings of the home supporters, Basingstoke too were well below their best and incapable of punishing a surprisingly sloppy AFC Wimbledon display.

Dons fans could have been forgiven for thinking that the first half, which was devoid of more than a handful of clear-cut chances, was being used to pilot a new interpretation of the offside law, especially where Danny Kedwell was concerned. The action ebbed and flowed between the Dons carelessly giving the ball away or over- and underhitting passes out to wide men Ryan Jackson and Christian Jolley, and Basingstoke defenders using two or three passes too many in vain attempts to find bullish striker David Pratt. If ever a half was destined to finish scoreless it was this one, and Seb Brown's acrobatic leap to tip over Jay Gasson's header after 23 minutes was the nearest either side came to a goal.

Kedwell's drive on the half-hour was beaten out by a two-handed save, but the referee failed to spot that only one of those hands was attached to keeper Simon Moore - the other belonged to Town defender Ross Adams, and the home side got away with what looked an indisputable penalty. Five minutes, later Kedwell stole in behind left-back Matt Finlay, but Gasson intercepted his pull-back to the waiting Sammy Moore and the danger was cleared.

When the same player shot narrowly wide within ten seconds of the restart, it could have signalled that the Dons were out to put a largely limp first half showing behind them. But after another Sammy Moore effort that Simon Moore tipped around the post on the hour mark apart, it was the home side that looked more likely to break the deadlock. Fortunately for Wimbledon, Pratt, Jide Ogunbote and former Dons target Matt Pattison all dragged half-decent chances wide of Seb Brown's goal before midfielder Ogunbote headed wildly over from six yards when he was left inexplicably unmarked from a corner.

The hallmark of a good side is when they make their opponents pay for spurning such a golden opportunity, and with 19 minutes remaining the Dons did just that. Kedwell flicked on a right-wing Sam Hatton corner and the ball fell invitingly for Ed Harris some 12 yards out and the defender had time to turn and fire a shot through a sea of legs and past Moore for his first goal in a Dons shirt.

Within two minutes the former QPR man almost handed Basingstoke the chance to equalise when he completely missed Matt Warner's cross into the box, but Andre Blackman tidied up the danger. Substitute Jahson Downes then wasted the host's final chance to snatch a draw when he lost control of the ball on the edge of the box and allowed Ismail Yakubu to clear the danger with a well-timed tackle.

The customary four minutes of time added on passed without any further alarm, although Jolley's last-second foul on Gasson caused Terry Brown to erupt in a fit of rage that was far, far too impassioned to waste on a game as incident-free as this. As comfortable passages into the First Round Proper of the FA Cup go, this is not going to rank very highly - but an away tie at Hillsborough or St Mary's may allow it to be forgotten as quickly as it deserves to be.

[ --- wimbledonheritage.co.uk]