Wednesday 4 March 2015 12:39, UK
Phil Brown was frustrated after Barry Corr's goal was deemed not to have crossed the line in Southend's 0-0 draw with AFC Wimbledon.
Brown revealed he had watched a replay of the incident after the final whistle and was convinced Corr's strike should have counted. Dons goalkeeper Joe McDonnell, making his first start of the season, was the star of the show as he made a succession of fine saves to earn his side a point. "We had a lot of pressure on them, which I thought would have resulted in the three points," said Brown. "I consider it as we've dropped two points. However, it's not a bad result in the current climate. I don't know what the results are (elsewhere) but we've come to Wimbledon, who have had a fairly decent season, and played like that. "I didn't want to share the spoils and I thought we did enough to win." Southend were furious not to have taken the lead in the 76th minute when Corr's curling shot from the corner of the area bounced down off the bar and looked to have crossed the line only for referee Graham Scott to wave play on. Speaking about Corr's second-half effort, Brown added: "We've looked at the DVD and it's in. The linesman has said he couldn't have guessed that one and I agree with him. "The two young goalkeepers have got to take a lot of credit. They've both kept clean sheets." McDonnell, who was replacing the injured James Shea in goal, kept the scores level inside five minutes, making a low save to his right from Corr's shot. After the break Corr then found space down the left to cross but David Worrall's downward header was straight at McDonnell. The Shrimpers continued to dominate proceedings, but failed to work McDonnell with a succession of long-range efforts. The Dons were hanging on and nearly conceded after McDonnell's scuffed clearance gave Michael Timlin a clear sight of goal from 30 yards, but his effort was cleared in the six-yard box. AFC Wimbledon manager Neil Ardley was pleased with his side's discipline. He said: "I thought the first half they started well and we had to dig in to stay in it. "Then we got into the game and had some decent moments ourselves. I thought second half against the wind they had us penned in. "It became tough and it was backs against the walls. Southend were good at what they did. They were big and strong. "The pitch is awful. That's not a criticism of our pitch but it was bobbling and any time we rolled it infield we were putting ourselves under pressure. "I thought the performance was resilient. Today, particularly second-half, we just needed to stay disciplined and stay in it. "I'm pleased with the boys. They're starting to fatigue at the end of this eight-game run. We've got a lot of bumps, bruises and stiffness, but I'm not going to use it as an excuse. They gave everything."