Damage in the Box!: HAMPTON & RICHMOND BOROUGH (The Beveree)

Well the moment of truth had arrived for AFC Wimbledon. Could they complete their rise to the pinnacle of non-league football just seven years after their formation, when the Football League disgracefully allowed the original Wimbledon to be shifted 80 miles up the road to M***** K*****

The scene was set...a win today for Wimbledon would seal the Championship and promotion. A draw would mean, mathematically, it would go to the last day (Hampton would have to swing round a goal difference of 13, which is highly unlikely). So you can also see it was a big game for Hampton. They were the only team that could realistically stop The Dons but to do that they had to win.

The sense of occasion was not lost on any of the crowd. The game was an all-ticket sell-out, 3,325 which was easily The Beveree's record attendance. The crowd were queuing long before the gates opened at 1.30pm, all eager to get their speck and witness history in the making. For me, as the sun was shining, it was a chance to nip off to the local pub and sample some wares, especially as there were four real ales on draft. For me history can wait...hic!

I eventually made my way into the ground at around 2.15pm and it was absolutely chocca! Found a half decent speck in the corner, but couldn't see the goal nearest to me. I just hoped that the goals went in at the other end! The Beveree is a quaint little stadium but I'm not sure if it is equipped to handle big crowds. Maybe I'm being a little harsh, as Hampton's rise through the leagues has almost been as rapid as Wimbledon's, but the ground feels like it has been left behind a little, it is not a Conference Premier (which is where they are aiming for) ground by any stretch of the imagination.

The game was a cagey affair but gripping all the same. The first half ended goalless, but Wimbledon must have been wondering how after dominating proceedings and having the better of the few chances there were. As is the case when a team has been out-played, they usually come up with a sucker punch and that is indeed what Hampton did, Francis Quarm tucking home from a quick corner on 52 minutes (at the end where I could see!).

The game was nip and tuck but it wasn't until the 88th minute that Wimbledon grabbed their equaliser when Jon Main rose to head home his 33rd goal of the season and effectively seal promotion. This leveller wasn't without controversy, as a Hampton player lay prostrate as the ball was crossed into the box, but the referee was happy to let play continue. This goal however came at the end I couldn't see. I managed to catch a glimpse of Main heading the ball, but wasn't sure it had nestled in the net until the crowd around me went berserk!

There was the inevitable pitch invasion at the end, in celebration I hasten to add, and the vast majority of the crowd went away singing and dancing into the evening...