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Your support makes all the difference.Middlesbrough 1 Wimbledon 2
While their rivals argue over which multi-million pound import might preserve their Premier League position, Wimbledon - nomadic, no money and certainly no friends - are on the verge of an 11th consecutive season at the top.
Victory over Middlesbrough, in a game which clearly mattered only to the visitors, leaves Joe Kinnear's side all but safe, after a run which has brought them 13 points from a possible 15.
"We're criticised from here to kingdom come, but that's something we have to live with," acknowledged the Wimbledon manager. "We can't compete with the big boys, but there's no reason why we can't stay in the Premiership and ruffle a few feathers. At times this season we've had nine men missing. If we'd had a recognised centre-half, we'd have been in the top six."
As it is, they are destined to finish in their lowest position of Kinnear's five-year reign, although mere survival is cause for congratulations. "It'll be the same next season, with me having to find players from the lower leagues," he added. "You have to look at how much my team cost and compare it with the opposition. It's pro- bably less than Juninho's wages."
The Brazilian was one of the few Middlesbrough players to earn his keep, after an abject display which drew untypical criticism from their manager, Bryan Robson. "Our passing was hopeless," he admitted, with honesty and accuracy. "When the pressure is off, you should enjoy your football. We had 30,000 fans out there, who I wanted to entertain, but if I was bored, they must have been."
Wimbledon went ahead in the 12th minute when Robbie Earle poked in a Vinnie Jones cross. However, the left-back Curtis Fleming then cut inside to drill home his first goal for Middlesbrough in his 151st game for the club.
Just past the hour, Phil Whelan might have put the home side ahead, but sliced wide from inside the six-yard box. Within a minute, the hapless defender ruined Middlesbrough's offside trap, and Efan Ekoku advanced to thump in the winner.
The Dons collected four yellow cards inside 15 minutes, as they sought to protect their lead and their status. But Middlesbrough - safe from the drop, if not from a legal battle with former sponsors Dickens, or the repercussions of an alarming report by the emergency services on their new Riverside Stadium - had that end-of-season trip to Majorca look about them.
Goals: Earle (12) 0-1; Fleming (23) 1-1; Ekoku (64) 1-2.
Middlesbrough (5-3-1-1): Miller; Cox, Pearson, Vickers, Whelan, Fleming; Kavanagh (Freestone, 68), Pollock, Moore; Juninho; Barmby. Substitutes not used: Campbell, Branco.
Wimbledon (4-3-2-1): Sullivan; Ardley, Perry, Pearce (Reeves, h-t), Kimble; Cunningham, Jones, Earle; Ekoku, Gayle (Clarke, 49); Holdsworth. Substitute not used: Goodman.
Bookings: Middlesbrough Vickers, Whelan. Wimbledon Holdsworth, Kimble, Cunningham, Perry.
Man of the match: Kimble.
Referee: G Ashby (Worcester). Attendance: 29,192.
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