Downes comes back to haunt Dons in Torquay draw

FORMER AFC Wimbledon trialist Aaron Downes' last-gasp header denied the Dons a deserved victory at Plainmoor.

Harry Pell's late goal looked like giving the visitors maximum points when his shot cannoned in off Downes.

However, the Aussie defender made up for his blunder in the third minute of stoppage-time to earn Torquay a share of the spoils.

Boss Neal Ardley handed debuts to Ross Worner, Barry Fuller, Andy Frampton, Callum Kennedy, George Porter and Martin Smith in a new-look Dons team.

And the visitors could've taken the lead inside two minutes when Porter player in Smith, but the on-loan Charlton frontman was denied by Martin Rice.

George Francomb fired wide moments later as the Dons made most of the early pressing.

However, they had a let off on eight minutes when Callum Ball's effort was judged offside after Billy Bodin's header was stopped on the line.

Francomb stung the hands of Rice, while Smith should've done better with his header from Porter's centre.

The Torquay keeper came to the home side's rescue three minutes before the break when he thwarted Moore from point-blank range after great work by Smith and Porter.

Ball came within a lick of paint of breaking the deadlock for the home side early in the second-half when his sweet left-footed shot clipped the outside of the post.

At the other end, Rice was at full stretch to keep out Smith's piledriver, while denying Porter soon after.

Ardley made a triple substitution midway through the half in a bid to freshen things up, with Chris Arthur, Charlie Sheringham and Jack Midson introduced to the fray.

Rice came to Torquay's rescue again when he kept out Midson's near-post effort after Arthur's low cross from the left.

Sub Jordan Chapell delivered a dangerous cross-shot late on as both sides pushed for a winner.

The visitors thought they had found it on 87 minutes when Pell's long-rage shot was diverted past Rice by the head of Downes, only for the Torquay defender to make amends in stoppage-time at the other end when he headed past Worner.

DONS: Worner, Fuller, Bennett, Frampton, Kennedy, Francomb (Arthur 68), Pell, Sweeney, Porter, (Sheringham 68), L Moore, Smith (Midson 68).

Subs (not used) Brown, Fenlon, S Moore, Strutton.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest Dons news.

Follow me on Twitter .