The Dons were held to a disappointing draw against a revitalised Ebbsfleet side on a 13-game unbeaten run. But the referee attracted more attention than the two teams seeking a place in the Second Round of the FA Cup, dishing out two red and six yellow cards.

It started well for Wimbledon, who from the kick-off launched a promising attack and set about putting the visitors on the back foot. However, last season's Dons captain Paul Lorraine was in no mood to repay the home fans for their warm reception, and he and fellow central defender Clint Easton, who was in an equally resilient frame of mind, snuffed out all the early threats.

The Dons' most potent attacking force in the opening exchanges was left-back Andre Blackman, who combined smartly with Luke Moore, starting in place of namesake Sammy against his former employers, before being thwarted by Lorraine's typically swashbuckling block. Blackman then beat five players on a mazy 60-yard run that took him to within 20 yards of the Fleet goal, but his pass to Luke Moore was a little short and the attack fizzled out.

Calum Willock, once nearly a Don himself, then wasted three half-decent chances to give Ebbsfleet the lead, none of his efforts managing to trouble Seb Brown. The half was panning out almost perfectly for Daish, though: his side were stifling Wimbledon's attacking threat, Danny Kedwell's in particular, and were giving Ismail Yakubu and Ed Harris a testing time at the other end. Brown was called into action to expertly claw away Michael West's 25-yard free-kick after Willock had been dubiously felled by Harris.

For the home side, Ryan Jackson - so often the impetus for fruitful forward moves this season - was having little luck making his mark on the game as another former Don, Derek Duncan, was showing the sort of form at left-back that he produced so sparingly in his one season at Kingsmeadow. It was left to Christian Jolley to provide Wimbledon with attacking impetus from the left, but with seven minutes to go to half-time, Jolley's promising game was brought to a shuddering halt.

Jolley had just felt the wrath of Terry Brown for failing to control a Seb Brown throw-out, and in an attempt to win the ball back from the resultant throw-in Jolley mistimed his tackle on Craig Stone and gave away what was a clear free-kick. But Mr Davies saw a dangerous two-footed challenge and, to general disbelief, whipped out the red card. Terry Brown withdrew Jackson and sent on Sammy Moore in a reshuffled 4-3-2 formation hoping that his depleted side would at least see the half out - but within minutes the two sides were again equal in numbers.

When Steven Gregory took a free-kick in his own half too quickly and from the wrong place, the ball slammed into the retreating Ashley Carew's shins from barely two yards away. Carew, who had already been booked for pulling Rashid Yussuff's shirt, was now shown a second yellow for deliberately blocking the free-kick. Suddenly it was ten men versus ten, and Messrs Brown and Daish were shrugging their shoulders at each other. There was only Ricky Shakes' dispossession of Yussuff and his failure to capitalise on it to speak of before the half-time interval.

An even first half gave way to an even second. Ebbsfleet were more than matching the Dons in every department; Wimbledon were struggling to find the form that had propelled them so excitingly to the top of the Blue Square Bet Premier. Jolley's absence from the left meant a lot more attacking involvement for the back-to-form Blackman, but he continually left space behind him, and twice the pacy Shakes should have made more of the opportunity to breach the Dons' defence.

Wimbledon really should have made the visitors pay for their lack of cutting edge, but the final ball was missing time and time again, with Blackman and Sammy Moore over-hitting crosses and Gregory failing to pick out Kedwell and Sam Hatton when each was clear of the Fleet back line. Willock then had another chance to punish the side for whom he played one pre-season friendly prior to the Dons' first season in the BSBP, but he allowed Yakubu to make a timely tackle. Shakes then did similarly when running at the retreating Wimbledon defence, but this time Blackman nipped in and toed the ball away.

Luke Moore was withdrawn for Mark Nwokeji. Two minutes later, Lorraine crashed into the back of Sammy Moore on the edge of his own penalty area for what certainly looked like a late tackle from behind, but it went unpunished, and Moore left the pitch on a stretcher with a painful ankle injury. Duncan then caught Yussuff with a scissor tackle far more violent than Jolley's, but Mr Davies failed to act, much to the ire of the Dons bench.

Yussuff almost clinched victory for Wimbledon with three minutes left, but Duncan threw himself John Terry-like at the ball and deflected Toks' 10-yarder over the bar, before Kedwell lashed a half-chance wide of Preston Edwards' near post. Five minutes of added time failed to produce a meaningful effort on goal, and the two sides will have to fight it out again on 16 November at Stonebridge Road.

Wimbledon fans old enough to remember the 1978/79 FA Cup run may recall the Dons triumphing in a precursor of the same scenario, but they are going to need to find their cutting edge to put this tie to bed in the way they did 32 years ago. That they'll be without both Jolley and Sammy Moore is going to make the task that little bit more difficult.

[ --- wimbledonheritage.co.uk]