Wimbledon 2, Bradford City 1: A contender for goal of the season lit up the National Hockey Stadium at Milton Keynes on Saturday evening - and with it possibly the final nail in Nicky Law's managerial coffin at the Bradford & Bingley Stadium.

After Wimbledon skipper Nigel Reo-Coker had struck a 20-yarder into the top corner of Alan Combe's net, City's 285 fans at the ground - and a good few more watching on Sky television - realised that another three points had been thrown away.

There was still 24 minutes to play and it was only 2-1, but the City players looked deflated and beaten.

For Wimbledon, it was their first victory at their new Milton Keynes home and the supporters gave them tremendous backing.

City bossed the first half and took a deserved lead through Andy Gray in the 34th minute.

Before that both sides had given the ball away regularly but City had produced the better football with Gray, Simon Francis and Gareth Edds producing some nice touches along the right flank.

But the Dons could have taken the lead against the run of play in the 16th minute when Wade Small sent in a curling cross-cum-shot which Dean Holdsworth almost got a touch to. Alan Combe fumbled the ball on the line but recovered.

City had not troubled the Dons goal until the 34th minute when stand-in skipper Dean Windass produced the moment of the game for City.

He split the Wimbledon defence beautifully with a slide-rule pass which Gray latched on to. The Scottish international rounded the keeper with ease before shooting into an empty net for his fourth goal of the season.

The silence was deafening as City celebrated and from then on in the first half it looked like the Dons would never score.

But something must have happened in the dressing rooms at half-time because Wimbledon came out a different side - and so did City.

Patrick Agyemang came on as sub for the Dons and he made a difference.

Even so, City could have been two up when Windass had the ball in the net only for the linesman to flag for offside.

But Wimbledon were buzzing and City decided to give them a helping hand with some outrageous defending following a long kick up field.

City's defence looked mesmerised as the ball hung and was allowed to bounce. Edds misjudged the situation as Alan Combe came racing out of his goal like a sprinter out of his blocks. Wade Small was in like a flash, though, poking the ball between them and towards the unguarded net.

Small followed in along with Agyemang but the ball appeared to go in off City defender Jason Gavin.

Law summed up the farcical goal: " I can't believe that goal. We have given away some bad ones this season but that one is top of the charts," he said.

That was in the 62nd minute and four minutes later came a goal out of the top drawer. Dons skipper Nigel Reo-Coker, a class act who would grace the Premiership stage, lashed in a 20-yard strike which Combe could only stand and admire as it flew into the top

corner.

It was a moment of breathtaking beauty - but it spelled the end for ragged City whose fight and passion was ebbing away.

City huffed and puffed with Ben Muirhead and Danny Forrest entering the fray late on but Wimbledon were the better team now and they should have increased their lead in the 82nd minute when Jobi McAnuff charged through the City defence to shoot just wide of the post.

Nevertheless, with the seconds ticking away, City's Michael Branch will still be having nightmares about missing a marvellous chance to equalise.

Windass was the provider again, putting the striker clean through but Branch hammered his shot past the post - and City's incredulous fans behind the goal let out a collective groan.

Dons boss Stuart Murdoch said: "I was relying on the the goalkeeper to bring off a marvellous save when I saw Michael Branch in the clear but he didn't need to. My heart was in my mouth."