Dons waste chances as fans stay away

Wimbledon 1 Rotherham United 3

The lowest crowd in Wimbledon's short history as a league club, a paltry gathering of 664 which was not quite a record low for the Worthington Cup, watched the hosts succumb to Rotherham United's second-half rally last night.

Wimbledon's exasperation at their third-round exit was tempered perhaps by their relief at avoiding the ignominy of making further unwanted entries into the record books. The suspicion lingered, however, that the Selhurst Park tenants had deliberately "massaged the gate'' so as to ensure that the 612 who watched Halifax's first-round exit three years ago remained the worst attendance for the competition.

Those who did head counts from the press box were convinced that there were no more than 500 people in the ground, maybe not even as many as the 469 who saw Thames play Luton in the Third Division South in 1931, which remains the lowest figure ever registered for a senior English fixture since official records began.

The 664 last night was just over half the 1,174 who watched AFC Wimbledon win 4-1 at Cove. While AFC, the club formed by supporters dismayed by the proposed move to Milton Keynes, were jumping to second in the Seagrave Haulage League, Wimbledon did not capitalise on a promising first half at near-deserted Selhurst Park.

Rotherham's goalkeeper Mike Pollitt had gone full length three times in as many minutes to save from Joel McAnuff before Patrick Agyemang surged between the visiting centre-backs to prod the ball past him after 35 minutes.

Wimbledon maintained the pressure after the interval, with Pollitt tipping a Neil Shipperley shot onto the same upright that Agyemang was to strike from close range 10 minutes later. By then Rotherham were very much in contention.

Andy Monkhouse volleyed a fine 50th-minute equaliser and then supplied the cross which led to Richard Barker stooping to mole-height level to score with a header. Alan Lee, Rotherham's scorer when they lost 2-1 to Wimbledon in front of an 849 crowd in the League last week, added the third with another volley from Nick Daws' free-kick.

Wimbledon (4-4-2): Davis; Holloway, Gier, Leigertwood, Darlington; McAnuff, Andersen (Francis, 81), Reo-Coker, Morgan (Ainsworth, 70); Shipperley, Agyemang. Substitutes not used: Hawkins, Heald (gk), Gray.

Rotherham United (4-4-2): Pollitt; Scott, Swailes, Branston, Hurst; Sedgwick (Bryan, 83), Daws, Garner, Monkhouse (Byfield, 77); Lee, Barker (Warne, 78). Substitutes not used: Talbot, Gray (gk).

Referee: S Dunn (Bristol).