By Alfie Marlborough
Memory Lane has been gritted and Alfie is driving with caution as he takes you though a Yuletide Throwback on a Thursday.
Eight years ago, Oldham made the trip down to Buckinghamshire from the North-West for the final outing before Christmas. However, there was to be no presents for the visitors who were on the wrong end of a Seven-nil drubbing to the Dons.
Just over a quarter of an hour in and the Dons went ahead through Will Grigg who grabbed his first of two that afternoon. The Dons were awarded an indirect free-kick inside the box. Dean Bowditch laid it off for the striker whose shot powered low through a sea of yellow shirts and through the keepers legs to give the Dons their first of many.
Two minutes before the interval, Dean Bowditch doubled the lead. Dele Allí picked up the ball in the middle of the park before driving towards the goal. The youngster passed the ball out wide to Carl Baker. His low ball into the centre was met perfectly by Bowditch who tapped past the goalkeeper to put Dons ahead comfortably going into the break.
Grigg grabbed his brace just four minutes into the second half and the Dons’ third of the day. A clearance from the Oldham Defence found Darren Potter who looped a header deep into the penalty area where Will Grigg battled his way through using his strength to see off the Oldham players before slotting past Paddy Kenny.
Darren Potter scored a second Dons goal in as many minutes to add a fourth for the hosts. Darren Potter picked up the ball on the edge of the box playing a lovely one-two with Grigg before firing across the face of goal and into the bottom corner to secure the win for the Dons.
The Dons wanted more and that’s what they got ten minutes from time through starlet Dele Alli. The young midfielder pounced onto Michael Tidser’s poor touch before sprinting towards goal and eventually slotting the ball perfectly into the bottom right corner from the edge of the box to give the Dons a fifth.
Five minutes later and on-loan striker Benik Afobe wanted in on the goals and did so to pile on more misery for the visitors. Jordan Spence played a phenomenal ball across the field to Carl Baker who crossed in brilliantly towards Benik Afobe who headed home.
Moments before the end and Baker got the seventh to go along with his two assists. Paddy Kenny came out to try and claim a ball over the top by Dean Bowditch but it happened to deflect to Carl Baker who saw the goal gaping and passed it home with ease to add another to his tally.
This thrashing moved the Dons up into the automatic spots and into second. The Dons finished the season there come May and secured promotion to the Championship for the clubs first time in their short-lived history.
