Mitchell Pinnock’s 90th-minute FA Cup winner broke plucky Haringey Borough’s hearts and eased the pressure on AFC Wimbledon boss Neal Ardley.
The Dons – on a seven-match losing streak in League One – sit four divisions above their non-league opponents but struggled to break them down on a wet and windy Friday night at Coles Park.
Haringey, the 'other' team on White Hart Lane, had to ride their luck at times – Valery Pajetat in their goal making a number of fine saves.
And it looked like they had forced a replay before Pinnock’s deflected effort crept in at the near post.
On a night when free-flowing football was in short supply, Borough looked like they might continue a fairytale FA Cup run that began all the way back in August in the preliminary round.
Joseph Staunton had a second-half goal ruled out for offside but in truth it was the Dons who carried the greater threat – chiefly through Pinnock.
The winger had already hit the bar in the first half with a free-kick and stung Pajetat’s palms in the second before his late intervention ended Borough hopes and secured the Dons’ passage into the second round.