Saints preserve us. Wimbledon go into next weekend's denouement at Southampton with renewed hope of Premiership survival thanks to an unlikely injury-time headed equaliser from John Hartson, a stone overweight, laughably unfit and facing a disrepute charge for digging himself into a hole in a tunnel last weekend. It ain't over until the fat Welshman springs.
In a way Hartson's bizarre rescue act showed that Wimbledon are still crazy after all these years. But far from being seen as a welcome return to old values, Saturday's crazy finale more likely represented the last hurrah for an outdated creed. For the club's Norwegian bosses have just called in an interior designer.
Terry Burton would look out of place on Changing Rooms. But he is at home in them, a career coach who has studied with the best in Europe and wants to use his rich palette of ideas to give Wimbledon a makeover.
Burton, whose title is manager, not, as reported, caretaker, goes into Sunday's final game at the Dell with Wimbledon seeking only to match Bradford's result against Liverpool that same tense day to safeguard their 14-year membership of the top flight.
Wimbledon had to be given the lead when Ugo Ehiogu headed past his own goalkeeper. They then allowed the pint-sized Lee Hendrie to head an equaliser, while Neil Sullivan's hesitation helped Dion Dublin volley the FA Cup finalists into the lead.
Villa should have scored more. But then: enter Hartson. Still recovering from knee and hernia problems, with just 10 days training in five months, "a stone overweight if I'm honest", sent off last week, publicly critical of the former manager Egil Olsen and facing an FA charge for that tunnel bust-up at Derby, the Stg£7 million-rated striker struggled off the bench.
Earlier in the week Hartson had volunteered to make way for fitter team-mates if that was the manager's wish. But desperate times call for desperate measures. And it worked.
Deep into injury time Neal Ardley swung in a corner, David James missed it with a little help from Damien Francis' nudge, and there was Hartson to fire in a thundering header.
"They're the sort of goals you dream of," he said. "Hopefully that made up a little for the last week." Hartson is banned for the Southampton game.
WIMBLEDON: Sullivan, Cunningham (Jupp 29), Blackwell, Hreidarsson, Thatcher, Ardley, Euell, Andersen, Hughes (Francis 45), Gayle, Cort (Hartson 76). Subs Not Used: Kimble, Heald. Goals: Ehiogu 15 og, Hartson 90.
ASTON VILLA: James, Southgate, Ehiogu, Barry, Delaney, Merson, Thompson, Hendrie, Wright (Samuel 66), Dublin (Joachim 81), Carbone. Subs Not Used: Standing, McGrath, Enckelman. Booked: Delaney, Dublin. Goals: Hendrie 54, Dublin 74.
Referee: M Halsey (Welwyn Garden City).
