Preston's offensive system collapsed instantly as a player was sent off at the start of the second half, and he was the only striker who could score a goal.
Wimbledon's morale was boosted. Just three minutes later, when Preston's head coach had not yet figured out how to make personnel adjustments, Dubis used a long shot to penetrate their defense and Wimbledon took a one-goal lead.
Preston woke up as if from a dream and quickly deployed their troops to try to catch up with the score, but with one man missing, they were also in a difficult situation on the defensive end.
After all, when Li Polo entered their penalty area, at least two players were needed to defend him closely, and now, they were short of manpower...
In the 63rd minute, Rigg's corner kick found Li Polo, and with a powerful lion's head shake, the home team scored another goal!
Preston, who were two goals behind, were a little anxious. They also found a solution to the problem in desperation:
Since there is no main striker, let's send the central defender to play as a striker!
So, their central defender Paul Huntington, who was 1.91 meters tall and weighed 80 kilograms, appeared in front of Li Polo.
Just 2 minutes later, Li Polo and Huntington collided violently!
Although he was 10 centimeters shorter and 10 kilograms lighter than his opponent, Li Polo still held his ground and successfully interfered with his opponent's scramble. Huntington's header took off vertically and was easily caught by goalkeeper Xie.
But... Li Polo touched his ribs and still felt some pain from the impact.
After all, he is not an iron man!
Perhaps seeing the plight of the ace player, assistant coach Cox quickly shouted on the sidelines:
"Goodman, go and keep an eye on Huntington! Don't let Li Polo fight alone!"
Li Polo felt warm at heart when he heard the shout, and almost cried:
[Not only did he give him free special training, but he also gave him advice on how to get a pay raise. Now he is also reducing his pressure from a tactical level. Although this assistant coach is a little fat, he is really a good man!
When I become prosperous in the future, if Cox is still hanging around in a low-level team, I will definitely offer him a new job with an annual salary of one million! 】
There is nothing wrong with letting the defender play as a forward. After all, Ramos, Pique and Van Dijk have all done this, but the premise is... the other players in the back line can help him cover the bottom line!
Seeing the opponent's strongest man Huntington fighting with Goodman, Adley smiled slightly:
“It’s decided to be you, Akinfenwa!”
"Use the Slam move!"
In the 81st minute, accompanied by a dull sound, Akinfenwa fought his way out from between the two central defenders!
He faced the desperate goalkeeper and shot!
3:0!
Preston was completely defeated!
…
"Good job, boys!"
After successfully defeating his opponent, Adre was all smiles:
"Our next opponent has been confirmed. It's Reading from the English Championship. They are no pushover. Since it's not even ten o'clock yet, let's watch some video!"
He wasn't asking for opinions at all; this was simply a naked order.
Veterans like Akinfenwa and Dubis didn't care. Goodman, Kennedy and Osraja, who finally got a start in a game, didn't dare to say a word. But many young players couldn't help but complain in their hearts.
Li Polo took out his mobile phone and received more than a hundred messages at once. He couldn't help coughing, stood up from the bench, and prepared to fight for everyone's legal rights.
The good man Cox put his hand on his shoulder:
"Boss, if you dare to do this, I think your reputation in the locker room will be lower than that of the British Prime Minister."
Adley laughed and quickly took advantage of the situation:
"Hahaha, I'm just joking. Everyone has worked hard today. Go home and have a rest! Also, happy holidays to your wives and girlfriends!"
"oh!"
Everyone cheered in unison, and then disappeared without a trace in the shortest time!
Adley shook his head and sighed:
"Young players nowadays have less and less fighting spirit! Think about how glorious it was for us to be a professional player back then! Look at the Premier League teams, not to mention Valentine's Day, even on Christmas Eve, they still play until 10:30!"
Cox patted him on the shoulder:
"You have to understand, football is our dream, but now, more people just treat it as a job!"
…
"Sorry to have kept you waiting, baby!"
Li Polo hurriedly got into the familiar mini cooper and was greeted with a passionate kiss.
Then Lisanna remembered to care about her boyfriend:
"You're not seriously injured, are you?"
Li Polo replied with a grin:
"It's not serious, but the bastard who came up from behind was too strong. I'm still sore all over. I have to apply ice packs for the next few days..."
Lisanna was relieved at first, then a little disappointed:
"Then... you should have a good rest today..."
Li Polo grabbed her little hand:
"I do need to rest, but you can work harder!"
Lisanna slapped his claw away with her hand, her neck slightly reddened:
"Aren't you afraid that you won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning?"
Li Polo smiled and held her in his arms:
"As a reward for advancing today, we have a day off tomorrow!"
Lisanna smiled sweetly:
"By the way, I found a collection of classic films. You will definitely like them!"
Li Polo shuddered involuntarily:
"Do you want to watch the video?"
… …
Lisana was right. When Li Polo opened his eyes, he felt that the aches and pains all over his body not only did not ease, but became even worse.
He struggled to get up from the bed, touching his slightly sore waist, and couldn't help but sigh:
"Those few charges by Preston's central defender were really freaking brutal!"
…
As a League Two team, the February schedule was not originally so tight, but thanks to the players' outstanding performance, the team advanced in the cup competitions time and time again, so now they are even busier than the devilish schedule in December.
After defeating Preston 3-0 in the FA Cup , four days later on February 18, Wimbledon faced off against them in the second round of the British Championship semi-finals.
In the first round, they won 1-0 away from home against Gillingham, a relegation team from the English League One. Now that they are back at home, their advantage is of course even greater.
There is more than a month between the two rounds. Gillingham, which was previously ranked 21st in League One, has now risen to 13th in the standings and is basically out of danger of relegation.
Not only that, in the English League One four days ago, they also beat third-ranked Milton Keynes 4:2, and their overall form is very hot.
The only regret is that they were too involved in this game. A total of 4 players received yellow cards, and three of them were suspended for cumulative reasons...
What makes people ponder is that two of the yellow cards were given in the last few minutes of the game, which really seems like a card shuffle.
Look at Preston's ace striker, he is still suspended!
Anyway, the British Championship is a super useless event. Instead of fighting hard, it is better to let it play a meaningful role.
Clear all the yellow cards accumulated in 31 rounds, and then sprint towards the remaining 15 rounds of the league without any burden!
Anyway, as soon as Gillingham announced its roster, all major bookmakers in England closed their own odds immediately.
Who are you trying to scare by sending out a bunch of substitute players?
Without any surprise, Wimbledon won the second round with a score of 2:0 at their home court and successfully advanced to the final of the British Championship.
The final was scheduled for five weeks later on March 22, but before that, they had another more important game to play.
Ten days later, they will go to Wembley Stadium to compete with Chelsea for the League Cup championship!