City down with a whimper

It was the most hostile reaction the City chief had encountered.

Not since the dark days of Nicky Law's final weeks had the home fans lost faith so audibly. And Robbo agreed with them totally.

Three goals down to the bottom club and barely going through the motions, City's smallest home league crowd for eight years were witnessing the lowest point of a troubled campaign.

And this on a day when the Bantams had to win for any hope of a stay of execution from the relegation axe for at least one more week.

"The fans have given them encouragement all the way through but their reaction wasn't a surprise," said Robson. "The players turned me against them at half-time.

"The booing was justified because in the first half we gave them nothing. I can't remember one occasion where we even managed to keep the ball for six or seven passes."

It was only when Robson turned to youth - and reunited a strike partnership that was first created at under-ten level - that City finally showed any semblance of interest in rescuing a lost cause.

Bringing on Tom Penford, Danny Forrest and Kevin Sanasy was a last throw of dice. But it saved Robson's men from total humiliation.

Suddenly there was an urgency, a bite about their play which had been completely absent for the previous hour or so. Wimbledon, finally, were made to realise they were in a game.

The bottom side's shaky confidence was exposed as City hit back twice, the first with an instinctive flick from Sanasy that was the only moment Saturday will be remembered for. The revival wasn't enough but at least the players were spared a second slating from the supporters at the final whistle.

Robson had admitted defeat after Monday's defeat at Derby and even the cleverest mathematicians were struggling to come up with an equation to avoid the inevitable drop.

But the boss had demanded total focus and commitment in the final four matches. He wanted the players to prove that by going the rest of the season unbeaten.

The mission statement clearly went in one ear and out the other as within four minutes of kicking off, Wimbledon were in front.

Stuart Murdoch admits he is on his third different team this season because he has lost so many of his first-choice players, chiefly to West Ham. But the current lot are a game young bunch who reflect their manager's positive outlook and are happy to chase anything.

That carefree spirit was typified by explosive winger Malvin Kamara, who gave Paul Heckingbottom the most uncomfortable outing he has experienced in a City shirt.

Kamara is usually released from the bench with half-an-hour to go to run until he drops. This time Murdoch gave him orders to do it from the start.

And straight away he was shooting past Heckingbottom to pick up Gary Smith's excellent defence-splitting pass and slide the opening goal past the recalled Mark Paston.

Chris Kamara was the manager who steered City out of Division Two eight years ago, now a player of the same name was sending them back again.

City were offering nothing in response. Jason Gavin got a faint touch to their first corner and Dean Windass and Rob Wolleaston both slammed shots into the wall from a free-kick in a threatening position.

Wolleaston forced a regulation save from Scott Bevan with a 25-yarder but it was no shock when the Dons increased their lead after 33 minutes. Wayne Small crossed low and hard from the right and when Gavin failed to cut it out, they were queueing up at the back post.

Gareth Edds found himself hopelessly outnumbered as Smith slipped round him and clipped home number two. Now the boos began.

It could have been worse but Paston kept out Gray's header from close range before City traipsed into the dressing room to the farewell from hell.

The reaction was no warmer inside the

four walls as Robson let rip. But he resisted

the temptation to make changes there and then.

He said: "I put the youngsters on the bench because I thought there might be a bit of a lapse. But I didn't think it was fair to bring them on at half-time.

"I told the experienced lads that they'd got us into this mess and I didn't want to throw the kids in to try and get them out of it. Performances were poor all over the pitch and the players had let themselves down.

"I thought there was an improvement in the second half but Mark Paston held his hands up to a bad third goal that more or less killed the game. So then there was nothing to lose in bringing on the young lads and seeing what they could do."

That bad third goal followed the first five minutes of real City pressure. But after Bevan, who is even taller than Paston, caught a Danny Cadamarteri chip above his head, his opposite number made the sort of blunder that will haunt him.

Windass gave away a free-kick five yards inside the home half which Ben Harding lofted towards the six-yard box. It was a hopeful ball which should have been meat and drink to the keeper, making his first start since Boxing Day.

But inexplicably Paston, under only slight pressure from Wayne Gray, let it slip right through both hands and the Wimbledon striker snaffled the unexpected gift.

When Paston caught the next cross it was greeted with sarcastic applause from the fans who were so cheesed off they were starting to cheer the opposition. Kamara's excellent run and shot just over drew the biggest applause of the afternoon.

That was until Robson decided enough was enough and unleashed Penford and Forrest. A chant of "City til I die" broke out to acknowledge the arrival of two lads the supporters felt would give something for the cause.

Forrest won a corner to get the crowd going before Robson took off Windass to give Sanasy the last 23 minutes to make a name for himself.

The 19-year-old from Pudsey made an impact straight away - on goalkeeper Bevan. Sanasy went in late on the keeper and picked up a booking before he'd even touched the ball.

But at least the fans recognised a will to win.

And within four minutes of coming on, Sanasy had a goal to add to his yellow card with a move he started and finished.

Taking Paston's throw out, Sanasy burst towards the halfway line before switching to Penford. The striker carried on his run as his teenage team-mate picked out Cadamarteri, who checked back before curling an inviting ball towards the far post where Sanasy connected sweetly with the outside of his right boot.

If the game up to then had been a case of Stockport revisited, this was a repeat of the moment against Ipswich last year when Forrest had struck right under the eyes of the Kop.

Suddenly City were a different side and quickly reduced the deficit further. Nicky Summerbee squared a quick free-kick to Cadamarteri who smashed it through a gap from 25 yards and into the bottom corner.

A rousing finish was on the cards and Cadamarteri had another try tipped behind before Paston partially atoned for his earlier howler with an excellent block after a misdirected header from Edds put Small clean through.

Dean Holdsworth drilled against the far post in stoppage time and Cadamarteri had one final hurrah saved low down by Bevan, who then infuriated the fans behind the goal by waving as the final whistle sounded.

Wimbledon, whose slump had saved City in their first season in the Premiership, had exacted some kind of revenge four years on.

Murdoch added: "There's always something on it when we come here. I don't think it's a pointer for next season, more a case that we just love to entertain you people in Yorkshire.

"It was 3-3 two years ago, 5-3 last season and now this. There are always loads of goals."