Wimbledon secured their first home win of the season in the Premiership last night and pushed Barnsley closer to the fate predicted for them pre-season. An Efan Ekoku goal six minutes from time completed the victory and, in the process, increased the Premiership newcomers' goals-against tally to 21, including eight in the last two games.

Neither side had come into the game with much to shout about; Wimbledon could boast just one league win so far this season and Barnsley two. This may have been expected of the Yorkshire club in their first season in the top division, but Wimbledon seemed to promise more and may have suffered from the fact that while all of the other Premiership clubs, including Barnsley, have spent lavishly on foreigners, Wimbledon have gone no further than Luton for their only signing, the international midfielder Ceri Hughes.

Barnsley's chairman John Dennis blamed his team's plight on their inability to put away the chances when they came. But on 40 minutes last night, Eric Tinkler rose high at the back post to head in Darren Sheridan's free-kick and put Barnsley ahead. Barnsley might have been feeling that they had the measure of Selhurst Park, but Wimbledon equalised four minutes into the second half.

The goal owed something to luck, for when Alan Kimble's corner found the head of Robbie Earle six yards out, David Watson in the Barnsley goal could only parry the ball and the youngster Carl Cort snapped up the rebound for his fourth goal of the season.

But Barnsley shrugged off their disappointment and the ever-dangerous Tinkler twice nearly scored a second, first when he headed a corner from the right onto the underside of the bar and then when his back-header forced a tipover save from Neil Sullivan.

Wimbledon, however, still had Kinnear's half-time flea buzzing in their ears and they took the lead after 20 minutes when Kenny Cunningham wrong-footed Ales Krizan on the left and floated in a cross behind the advancing Barnsley defence to find three Wimbledon players clear and on-side; Earle did the honours.

Three minutes later it was 3-1, Hughes, proving the shrewdest of buys, rounding a couple of visiting players and, from 25 yards, unleashing a left-foot shot which flashed in off the post.