Before we begin I have a little bit of a shameless plug to open with! For those of you that don’t know, I’ve started writing for an up-and-coming site called The Deck. In addition to writing the ratings I will be bringing out content over there as well so be sure to check out. https://thedeck.news/author/lukepayne797/ for all my latest articles. Alternatively you can find my content on NewsNow. Finally I will now be co-hosting a weekly podcast covering League Two football (@FourthTierFever on Twitter/X). The first episode was released an hour or so before the Barnet game and can be found here: https://shows.acast.com/fourth-tier-fever
Thank you so much for your support as I wouldn’t have been able to make these steps without you all here reading my content. All feedback is appreciated, especially when it comes to covering The Dons in the eyes of other EFL content creators. Hopefully we can continue to encourage positive football discussions on a wider scale and more than anything I hope I can be a good representative of The Dons’ fanbase. With the annoying self-promotion bit out the way…let’s get into the ratings!
Club football is back! Luckily with the Euros most of us have been able to get our football fix from the TV but there’s nothing quite like being back in the ground watching the game live again. Mike Williamson’s men ventured into Bedfordshire to face a side from North London whilst the stadiums for both teams were out of action.
Barnet had a strong season in the National League last time out and have been quick in the transfer market, making plenty of additions in advance of the pre-season games. This made them an excellent first test for The Dons. Barnet did come out of this fixture as 1-2 winners though at this stage of the season, the focus has to be more on performances. Williamson fielded two separate XI’s in this game, one for each half. To adjust to the nature of this fixture I will be giving a separate team rating for each half as well as two separate Top Dons. Now for the first time this season…here’s how I rated the players after the 2-1 defeat to Barnet:
Formation: 5-4-1/5-2-2-1 (Two holding midfielders and two attacking midfielders)
FIRST HALF XI:
GK – Nathan Harness – 5.5: Harness made some decent saves with Barnet on top for most of the half. The concern was his ball-playing. A number of times he played the ball into dangerous areas when there were better options available. His long range distribution was also poor and he kicked it straight out of play a few times as well.
RWB – Albert Wood – 5: Totally outclassed from a defensive point of view going up against a Barnet winger with a lot of pace and skill. With this being said he battled well and wasn’t afraid to get forward. Wood managed to get in behind Barnet’s defence a couple of times and he set up Alex Gilbey for the Dons’ best (and only) chance of the half with a clever cut back.
RCB – Charlie Stirland – 4.5: Stirland started the game positively and looked to be one of the standout players in the opening minutes. However, after a while Barnet did start to wear him down and he struggled to compete physically against his man. He did get beaten a few times but he showed good commitment to get back and defend even after losing his initial battles.
CB – Jack Tucker – 6: Tucker gave the ball away cheaply for one of Barnet’s early chances and a miscommunication between Tucker and Lewington nearly gifted Barnet a goal as well. Aside from these individual moments he played well. Tucker won most of his battles and put in a few vital blocks just when Barnet looked like they might break through. He was particularly strong in the air against a very physical National League side.
LCB – Dean Lewington – 6: The skipper had quite the battle with his marker and more often than not it was Lewington that came out on top. He won plenty of headers and was comfortable on the ball. He did have a couple of shaky moments including jumping for the same ball as Tucker which resulted in both players missing the ball. As ever he was very vocal when it came to speaking to the officials about some of the ‘interesting’ decisions they were making.
LWB – Joe Tomlinson – 5.5: One of the more disappointing performers from the first team squad. Tomlinson played the ball about well enough and in fairness to him the service wasn’t good enough from the rest of the team. He made the right runs but the ball never seemed to find him. His defensive work was solid though it quickly became clear that Barnet were focusing their attacks down the right so Tomlinson’s impact was limited.
CM – Rian Silver – 4.5: Similarly to Wood and Stirland, Silver had quite a battle on his hands. Barnet targeted the side of the pitch with all the inexperienced players. He battled as much as he could but struggled to maintain possession in the opposition half. Perhaps this was a tactical oversight on Williamson’s part as both Callum Tripp and Alex Gilbey swapped side with their midfield duos midway through the half.
CM – Callum Tripp – 6: Tripp did make one or two minor errors but aside from these he looked like one of the better players on the pitch for Dons. He was comfortable on the ball and wasn’t afraid to turn on the ball in deep areas, making it far easier to play out from the back. He was perhaps a bit too reluctant to push forward into Barnet’s half when Dons looked to be pressing the opposition but he did break down a number of attacks with some good challenges. A player to watch for sure.
RAM – Damerai Singh-Hurditt – 6: Singh-Hurditt was the wildcard of this first half team. He was incredibly lively and pressed well. He carried the ball into the opposition half a number of times and it was only the quality of his through balls that let him down. Singh-Hurditt showed great vision to pick the right passes but just wasn’t quite accurate enough with his passing to turn his ideas into dangerous attacks.
LAM – Alex Gilbey – 5.5: One of very few Dons players to come out on top in physical battles against his marker. Gilbey battled incredibly well and won a number of aerial duels in the middle third. His passing was reasonable but quite safe, not really threatening to cause problems in the final third. He did get one shot away but his effort went sailing over the bar. Gilbey picked up a silly yellow card for dissent and seemed to lose his head for a while, evidently frustrated by Barnet’s style of play as well as the decisions of the officials.
ST – Ellis Harrison – 6.5 (TOP DON): Held up the ball as well as he could whilst being manhandled by the Barnet defenders. Harrison didn’t seem to have the referee on his side otherwise he could’ve won a free-kick near enough every time The Dons attacked. He didn’t get much service beyond the halfway line but it was his strength and skill on the ball that gave Dons a rest from the relentless Barnet attacks.
TEAM PERFORMANCE – 4.5: This was a poor half from Dons. Barnet looked significantly sharper than Williamson’s men and the entire team lacked creativity and quality going forwards. Gilbey’s shot was the only one Dons had over the entire half which speaks for itself. Keeping a clean sheet with Barnet clearly on top for the entire half is an achievement, though it’s disappointing that Dons weren’t able to control the tempo of play much.
With this being said, out of this XI it’s only Gilbey and Tomlinson that are likely to be starting players when the season starts. It’s obviously early days but it seems unlikely that any of the other players in this side will become first choice in their position this season, perhaps with the exception of Tripp. The academy lads had a lot on their plate against what was essentially the first team of a top end National League side so with that in mind they did well. Tripp was the pick of the bunch and looked closest to being ready to compete in men’s football.
SECOND HALF XI:
GK – Craig MacGillivray – 6: MacGillivray didn’t have too much to do in the opening stages but he looked solid. It was a routine performance up until he had to save a one-on-one which unfortunately led to the keeper getting injured. He came off the pitch gingerly as Nathan Harness returned to take MacGillivray’s place.
RWB – Connor Lemonheigh-Evans – 7.5: One of the standout players and very easily could’ve been Top Don. Lemonheigh-Evans looked sharp and he was regularly able to dispossess the Barnet players with some good challenges. In addition to this he was particularly strong in the air, flicking the ball on a number of times in Barnet’s half. Lemonheigh-Evans was quick to get forward and contributed to some impressive build-up play. He was fortunate not to get injured after a Barnet player shoved him into the barrier surrounding the pitch. Despite this, the midfielder turned wingback battled on till the final whistle. Based on this performance, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Lemonheigh-Evans playing wingback in competitive fixtures, though it seems likely that Dons will recruit someone more natural for the role regardless.
RCB – Sam Sherring – 7: Sherring looked comfortable on the ball and he looked confident playing the ball out from the back. He also played the ball over the top that resulted in Matt Dennis’ goal. Sherring’s was strong defensively despite Dons conceding two in this half. He put in plenty of challenges and won his aerial battles.
CB – Charlie Waller – 5: Similarly to Stirland in the first half, Waller started well but seemed to struggle as the game went on. Both goals came through the middle though there was little he could’ve done to prevent the second one. Waller passed the ball around nicely but did sometimes panic when making defensive clearances, giving Barnet a chance to put pressure on The Dons defence.
LCB – Laurence Maguire – 7: Maguire was outstanding in the air, getting huge distance on his headed clearances. He did hoof the ball forwards a couple of times but aside from this he looked good on the ball, playing out of defence comfortably. He seemed to work well with Ilunga on the left side. Maguire came across as a leader, something needed desperately after the departure of Warren O’Hora.
LWB – Brooklyn Ilunga – 7.5: Ilunga was one of Dons’ best players going forward. He sprinted in behind with blistering pace a number of times, causing all sorts of problems for Barnet’s defence. From this he was able to fashion some great chances for Dons, the best of which was a low ball he played across for Matt Dennis that the striker unfortunately couldn’t capitalise on. In these high tempo situations Ilunga looked fantastic but when Dons were drawing out their attacks in long spells of possession the wingback struggled and often took too long on the ball, perhaps not trusting his instincts to make the right decision. He has the potential to breakthrough into the first team this season if his performance in this game is anything to go by.
CM – Conor Grant – 8 (TOP DON): Maybe Dons have been playing Grant in the wrong position the entire time…he was nothing short of sensational! Playing in a deeper role than he’s used to, Grant carried the ball really well, turning away from his marker time and time again. His defensive work was impressive but it was his on the ball skills that really shone. Grant pulled the strings for Dons and his performance had shades of Lewis Bate about it. The only reason he’s not rated higher is because he got no goal contributions. He did have a shot on goal but it was wide of the mark. Obviously it’s only one game but if Grant can continue to perform like that then there’s no reason why he can’t claim a spot in the starting XI when the season starts.
CM – Keon Lewis-Burgess – 5.5: Lewis-Burgess put in a decent showing, pressing well and looking relatively comfortable on the ball. With this being said, he did give the ball away in a dangerous position for Barnet’s second goal. Aside from this he performed well, even picking out a beautifully-weighted through ball for Ilunga on one occasion. Lewis-Burgess looks like he has real potential just like he did when Dons played Brighton U21’s in the EFL Trophy last season. It’s probably too soon for him to make the jump to the first team but in the long term he could be one to keep an eye on.
RAM – Chase Medwynter – 4: Medwynter got into some good positions but lacked the physicality to compete in the men’s game at this stage of his career. He was easily bullied by Barnet’s defence which led to him having minimal impact going forwards. When Medwynter was able to get a bit of space on the ball he played it about nicely which would suggest he has the technical ability, he just needs to bulk up a bit!
LAM – Michael Brammeld – 7.5: I came to this game not knowing who Brammeld was and left it wanting to see him play again. He was incredibly lively and read the game really well, appearing out of nowhere to dispossess the Barnet players numerous times. Brammeld was confident on the ball and was more than happy to dribble into the opposition half with it, displaying some impressive bursts of speed. It’s far too soon to suggest that he could breakthrough into the first team permanently, but at the very least he deserves more game time with the first team this pre-season.
ST – Matt Dennis – 7: Dennis opened the scoring with an excellent display of commitment. He charged forwards following a through ball from Sherring and despite the opposition keeper getting to the ball first, Dennis was close enough to prevent the keeper from being able to clear his lines properly. The ball ricocheted off Dennis and from there all he had to do was chase the second ball and roll it into an empty net. The striker was easily Dons’ biggest threat going forwards and he had multiple over attempts on goal. He forced a couple of routine saves out of the Barnet keeper and wasted another chance when he mis-controlled Ilunga’s ball across. He may have struggled for consistency a bit but he’s more than capable of leading the line when his head’s in the right place.
SUB (GK) – Nathan Harness – 6: Despite conceding twice Harness was more consistent in this half. There was nothing he could’ve done to prevent either goal and his long range distribution improved significantly, picking out Lemonheigh-Evans on the right a few times. Harness almost joined MacGillivray in the treatment room when a Barnet player tried to challenge him in the air but he recovered quickly after a short break in play.
TEAM PERFORMANCE – 7: Despite losing this half 1-2 the performance was much better. A couple of individual mistakes led to Barnet’s goals but it was actually Dons who looked like the bigger threat. The electric pace that Dons attacked with at times was great to watch, with particular credit going to Ilunga, Brammeld and Dennis. It’s worth noting that Barnet did switch their entire squad over after 60 minutes though the goal was scored against the original starting XI.
The new signings all looked good in their first game which is always a positive sign! It’s clear to see how all three players suit Williamson’s system, even with Lemonheigh-Evans playing out of position. However, the main takeaway for me is that Grant could still have a future at Dons. He’s set a high bar for Liam Kelly and Tom Carroll to match when they eventually start playing games.
Another thing to remember is that whilst Dons were missing a lot of first team players including six of the new signings, this was Barnet’s entire first team with the exception of one or two. Obviously no-one likes to lose but at this stage results aren’t all that important and it’s not that bad of a result anyway with all this taken into account.
It’s understandable that not all of the new players would come straight into the squad today but there were some other notable omissions from the team. Stephen Wearne, MJ Williams and Dawson Devoy were all absent. Given that Dons didn’t use that many of the first team players, the absence of Williams and Devoy in particular seems strange. It’s all speculation of course but perhaps it could be a sign of some upcoming departures.
There was also one notable absence from the academy players. Phoenix Scholtz didn’t look too far away from being able to break into the first team set-up this time last season but he was playing in the academy game against Newport Pagnell instead of in the first team game. Albert Wood obviously stepped in and played the first team game instead but this does come across as a strange decision from Williamson at face value.
If you’ve read this far then thank you! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below and I hope you enjoyed the read!
