AFC Wimbledon boss Dave Anderson could not fault his side's work ethic after their automatic promotion hopes suffered a fatal blow against Staines Town yesterday.

The Dons could only manage a 1-1 draw against Steve Cordery's - despite taking a third minute lead through Luke Garrard's header - in a result that all but finished Anderson side's chances of automatic promotion and championship glory.

The second successive draw secured the Dons only their second point from a possible six during the vital Easter period which leaves the Kingsmeadow side an uphill mountain to climb to grab the top spot that would guarantee them automatic promotion.

But despite the disappointing draw boss Anderson refused to criticise his players.

He said: "I can't fault my players effort, attitude and application and as a football manager that's all you can ask. On possession and chances we've come away with the least we could have possibly got for the game.

"In the last 15 minutes we've had four chances to finish off the game. I can't ask for more from my players - they have done everything but score a goal."

However, Anderson admitted that his side lacked a cutting edge in the final third that would have secured the three points.

"I'm a firm believer in that if your clinical and get to 2-0 when you should then you will win games. But if you don't do that then there's always a chance of letting teams back in. We just needed that second goal and didn't get it.

"But we've got to take the positives from the performance. They've done everything that they possibly can. They've come off on their hands and knees so what more can people ask of them."

And in truth the Dons should have had the three points wrapped up before half time after Garrard put the Dons ahead just three minutes after nodding in from a Richard Jolly cross.

Jolly himself could have doubled the lead on 17 minutes after his firm header went straight at Staines keeper James Courtnage and the striker had several other chances to score his second goal for the Dons before Michael Haswell struck a post with a rasping 25 yard effort on the stroke of half time.

Five minutes into the second half Richard Butler saw an effort from Garrard's cross cleared off the line but on 61 minutes Butler's afternoon was brought to a abrupt end after he was stretchered off after a 50/50 challenge with Staines' Adam Thompson.

And eight minutes later the Dons afternoon took another downturn when a lapse of concentration by the AFC Wimbledon defence left Ali Chaaban unmarked at the back post and his low cross was bundled in by Thompson to equalise for the away side.

The Dons had chances to win the game through Jolly and Ferguson but were forced to settle for a point that has more or less put paid to their automatic promotion hopes.