Play-off final - Walsall 0-1 Wimbledon: Saddlers suffer Wembley heartbreak

Myles Hippolyte scored the only goal in first half stoppage time with a precise half-volley into the far bottom corner from the edge of the box.

Jamille Matt came closest for Walsall when his effort was cleared off the line by Riley Harbottle but Walsall simply didn't do enough to warrant a result. 

Okagbue had a chance to equalise late on but the Irishman failed to keep his finish down as the Saddlers' hopes of promotion went up in smoke.

Mat Sadler named the same XI which successfully negotiated its way through both legs against Chesterfield in a 4-1 aggregate win. 

The only changes came on the bench with Connor Barrett returning from suspension and Oisin McEntee making his comeback from an ankle injury, as Donervon Daniels and Josh Gordon dropped out. 

Meanwhile, Wimbledon also remained unchanged across the 18, with former Walsall loanee Matty Stevens leading the line.

Walsall were playing at Wembley for just the second time in the club's history and for the first time since their last visit in the 2015 EFL Trophy final, which ended in a 2-0 defeat to Bristol City. 

It was a cagey contest for the opening half-hour with neither goalkeeper forced into action. Hippolyte was perhaps the biggest threat for Wimbledon and was involved in the two most notable moments early on. 

The Grenada international delivered a scooped cross into the danger area, which was swept up by Tommy Simkin, before he dragged another low effort wide of the far bottom corner after Ryan Stirk had given the ball away cheaply.

Walsall were happy to sit in and soak up the pressure, forcing Wimbledon back, just as they did in both legs against Chesterfield in the semi-final. 

But the first shot on target did arrive on the half-hour mark when Simkin plunged to his left to palm Marcus Browne's low drive from distance behind. 

The only issue with that is that they just struggled to get out in the rare moments they did have the ball, as they ended the first half without a single shot.

They lacked creativity and lacked precision and quality on the ball, with the pressure appearing to get the better of too many players.

Harry Williams was forced to end his afternoon early after a nasty fall saw him hobble off to be replaced by Oisin McEntee in the aftermath of Browne's chance.

McEntee was immediately put under pressure when his fluffed clearance presented Wimbledon with a glorious opening which they failed to capitalise on. 

Stevens wheeled away from Okagbue and fed the ball into the feet of Alistair Smith. His first touch was slightly too heavy and Taylor Allen was able to get across to deal with the danger.

Wimbledon landed the breakthrough on the cusp of half-time when Hippolyte drove a low half-volley into the bottom corner. 

It came from a poorly defended set piece from a Saddlers perspective. They had multiple opportunities to clear their lines before Browne's fierce volley was blocked. The loose ball presented itself kindly for Hippolyte and the Dons wide man planted a precise effort beyond the reach of Simkin from the edge of the box.

Matt came agonisingly close to an equaliser five minutes after the restart, as Walsall came out on the front-foot at the start of the second half. Nathan Asiimwe flashed an excellent cross to the near post and Matt outfoxed his marker to knock the ball goal wards. 

It looked as if his effort was just going to trickle over the line but Wimbledon defender Harbottle did extremely well to clear on the line. 

Wimbledon continued to go in search for a second but Jake Reeves' effort from distance was always rising after Allen had shanked his clearance into the path of the Wimbledon skipper.

Sadler reached for his bench just past the hour with the introductions of Albert Adomah and Levi Amantchi, with Jellis and Matt making way.

Amantchi was straight in the thick of the action as he peeled away from his marker to break into the box but his finish lacked power or conviction and was comfortable for Owen Goodman to deal with. 

Simkin prevented Wimbledon from doubling their lead midway into the second half with a crucial stop to deny Neufville. David Okagbue was easily beaten in the air and McEntee misjudged the flight of the ball as Neufville broke in behind, but Simkin stayed upright and produced a big save to claw his finish away.

Sadler shuffled his pack for the final time as Barrett and Lakin were called upon from the bench for the closing stages. 

Okagbue had had a difficult afternoon and squandered the best chance in the final few minutes. Allen floated a free-kick to the back post which was nicely cushioned down by Adomah but Okagbue could only blaze his effort over the crossbar.

Walsall failed to muster another opportunity in six minutes of stoppage time and their misery was confirmed when the whistle finally blew for full-time. 

Teams

Walsall (3-4-2-1): Simkin; Okagbue, Williams (McEntee 34), Allen; Asiimwe (Barrett 74), Stirk, Chang (Lakin 74), L Gordon; Jellis (Adomah 62), Hall; Matt (Amantchi 62).

Unused: Hornby, Comley.

Wimbledon (4-1-3-2): Goodman; Harbottle (Ogundere 70), Lewis, Johnson, Neufville; Reeves; Tilley, Smith, Hippolyte (Maycock 90); Stevens (Kelly 77), Browne (Sasu 90). 

Unused: Ward, Ball, Pigott.

Referee: Will Finnie 

Attendance: 50,947