Axel Tuanzebe’s first career goal has given the Blues a 2-1 half-time lead in their FA Cup third-round tie at AFC Wimbledon. Town went in front via a Josh Davison own goal on eight before home skipper Jake Reeves levelled from the penalty spot nine minutes later.
Blues boss Kieran McKenna made six changes from the team which drew 0-0 at Stoke City on Monday.
Christian Walton was in goal with Tuanzebe continuing at right-back and playing successive matches for the first time since joining the club, with Luke Woolfenden and George Edmundson the centre-halves. Cameron Humphreys was at left-back.
Skipper Sam Morsy was partnered by Jack Taylor with Omari Hutchinson, Marcus Harness and Nathan Broadhead behind number nine Freddie Ladapo.
New loan signing Jeremy Sarmiento was on the bench but Town’s other new loan addition, Lewis Travis, wasn’t involved as he starts training with the squad on Monday.
AFC Wimbledon have two players at the AFC Asian Cup, both regulars, Omar Bugiel with Lebanon and Ali Al-Hamadi with Iraq. They missed out along with Joe Lewis, who is reportedly set to be recalled by parent club Stockport, with former Norwich centre-half Alex Pearce, Harry Pell and Aron Sasu coming into the side.
After a quiet opening as the sides found their feet, the Blues created their first opportunity in the seventh minute, Hutchinson crossing from the right and a defender turning over the bar ahead of Broadhead.
Following the corner, Humphreys crossed from the left and Ladapo tried to turn the ball goalwards but it struck Ryan Johnson and loops over.
And from that flag-kick, the Blues went in front. Taylor played the now familiar low ball to the edge of the box towards Broadhead, whose shot looked on its way wide before it took a big deflection off Ryan Johnson and then Davison before nestling in the corner of the net, home keeper Alex Bass having been completely wrong-footed.
Johnson wasn’t far away from a goal at the other end in the 13th minute, powering a header over from a short corner on the left.
A minute later, the Blues went close to a second when Humphreys floated a cross to the far post from the left but Ladapo and Hutchinson appeared to get in one another’s way.
On 16, the Dons were awarded a penalty. A corner was whipped over from the left by Armani Little, it flicked off Tuanzebe’s head and struck Taylor’s raised arm. While the midfielder protested, with good reason, that he could have done little about it, by the letter of the law, referee Matt Donohue made the right decision.
Home skipper Reeves took the kick and sent it high into the net to Walton’s right to level the scores.
In the 23rd minute, Hutchinson gave the ball away following a Town corner, but then chased back to see the ball safely out of play after Sasu had ridden a Humphreys challenge.
Two minutes later, Davison crossed low from the left following a well-worked move but Harry Pell breaking into the area sent his first time shot across the face of goal and very wide. Moments later, Pell was shown the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Morsy.
Soon after the half hour, Broadhead might have made it 2-1, having burst away from Pearce on the left of the box but hit his shot from a tight angle well over. On 33, Harness was yellow-carded for a clumsy challenge on Pell.
Wimbledon were forced to withdraw Pearce due to injury in the 35th minute with Paul Kalambayi taking over.
Two minutes later, Broadhead found Ladapo in the middle with a low ball from the left of the box but the striker’s scuffed effort was too close to Bass in the home goal.
Broadhead was looking increasingly dangerous and on 40 cleverly turned away from two men before hitting a shot from the left of the box which Bass palmed wide.
And from the corner, the Blues restored their lead. Broadhead whipped the ball over, it looped up off a defender and Tuanzebe powered his first senior goal into the back of the net.
The Wombles went about getting back on terms and in the 43rd minute Connor Lemonheigh-Evans screwed a low shot into the side-netting when found in space on the left of the box. The former Torquay man will feel he ought to have done better.
As the half moved into four additional minutes, Hutchinson brilliantly turned and nutmegged Johnson on halfway before breaking towards the penalty area, cutting inside from the left and hitting a shot which Bass saved.
Just before the whistle, the on-loan Chelsea man played a sloppy pass which Sasu picked up by Woolfenden stepped across to stab it away as the Wimbledon youngster broke towards goal.
Town were good for their lead at the break having looked the more dangerous side without being at their best.
Wimbledon had given a good account of themselves but Broadhead’s quality in and around the box in particular illustrated the two divisions between the teams.
AFC Wimbledon: Bass, Biler, Reeves (c), Johnson, Pell, Davison, Little, Pearce (Kalambayi 35), Lemonheigh-Evans, Currie, Sasu. Subs: Tzanev, Leach, Brown, Tilley, Ball, Jennings, Ogundere, Clarke.
Town: Walton, Tuanzebe, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Humphreys, Morsy (c), Taylor, Hutchinson, Harness, Broadhead, Ladapo. Subs: Slicker, Ball, Luongo, Burns, Aluko, Chaplin, Jackson, Sarmiento, Buabo. Referee: Matt Donohue (Manchester).