Bolton’s unbeaten run may have ended in midweek, but the play-offs aren’t completely out of sight and we now have a home double header to get our teeth stuck into.
Tomorrow sees the visit of AFC Wimbledon, with us trying to whittle down that eight-point gap to the top six.
IAN EVATT | Manager ahead of AFC Wimbledon home fixture – YouTube
Team news
Kieran Lee probably won’t be available as the club continue to work out what the best way is to manage his heel injury. After being sat out in midweek, Gethin Jones should be back, and the starting line-up will resemble something a bit more like what we’ve been used to of late. I just wonder if this might be the one game where Declan John is given a break to let Liam Gordon have a go on the left…
Possible XI: Trafford; Jones, Almeida Santos, Johnston; Fossey, Williams, Morley, Gordon; Sadlier; Charles, Afolayan
Last time
Our last home game against Wimbledon was in December 2019, with the match finishing in a 2-2 draw. Marcus Forss put the Dons ahead twice, but on both occasions we equalised. Daryl Murphy scored 10 minutes into the second half, while the goal which clinched us the point came from a stoppage time Joe Dodoo header, which put us onto a grand total of two points for that season…
The opposition
They might be back at their spiritual home but this season has been a struggle for Mark Robinson’s Dons, who have won none of their last five games and sit a point and a place above the bottom four. They lost striker Ollie Palmer to Wrexham in January but midfielder Ayoub Assal is a goalscoring threat, while former Chelsea youngster Luke McCormick can be a danger. Anthony Hartigan is probably a familiar name, we had been linked with a move for him in the past.
Prediction
Back at home, back to a full strength side, this is the sort of game we should be winning if we’re to have any chance of a top-six stab. 3-0.