A brief look at Wimbledon’s stats and key facts about their matches so far tends to confirm their reputation as a physical team. 2 of their players were sent off in their last game v Bolton which they lost 3-0.
They have mostly played teams that Rovers have not yet met, so it’s difficult to make comparisons. However of the top few, Luton, Cardiff, Stevenage and Barnsley are included and their only win was against Barnsley - 2-0 at home. Their other wins have been against Reading (away), Lincoln (against 10 men for most of the match) and Rotherham (both at home). So they have won against the lesser opposition.
It is trite to suggest that the result depends on how well we play, but I feel that at our best we ought to be able to do as well as Luton, Cardiff and Stevenage and win, although as a club our record against AFCW is never as good as our overall form at the time seems to deserve.
We won’t have Clifton who is probably our most suitable player for a physical battle, but apparently Gotts has been training this week and Sterry ought to be nearing a comeback, so we could be stronger than we were at Wigan. The players will be fearful of consequences if they fail in the way they did at Wigan, so I think we can expect much endeavour with no evidence of players saving themselves for the big Cup match next Wednesday.
We need a win to restore that top 6 form so I’ll say 2-0 (Bailey/Molyneux)
DPL v AFC Wimbledon
posted 3 days, 9 hours ago
AI thinks the same as you Donaldo. So AI prediction is 2-0 with Bailey and Molyneax as scorers. I'm hoping there's a positive reaction against last week's poor showing and I'll go 3-1 to Rovers with Sharp or Gibson as my scorers
posted 2 days, 22 hours ago
We really need to recover from last week, and I think we will, so I'll also go for 3-1 for the Rovers. I certainly do not want it to be "Why did I get up to watch this?
Who to score the first - I'll say Sharp if he starts.
I may change this after I see the team - if I get up early enough!
posted 2 days, 19 hours ago
I'm currently looking across the Atlantic Ocean at the Isle of Skye but sadly returning south today so I will predict now.
Rovers 2-1 Wimbledon
Molyneux -Sharp-Broadbent to score ⚽
posted 2 days, 18 hours ago
Live @ https://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewLiveArticle/469530
One match ban enabled
posted 2 days, 13 hours ago
2-1 to Rovers. Bailey with the first.
posted 1 day, 12 hours ago
Rovers seem to have lost their way judging by how they played in the first half. Bailey’s header was really impressive, one of the best headed goals I’ve seen anywhere, so very much individual brilliance rather than a team effort.
TLT is held in great affection by a lot of supporters, some almost unwilling to blame him for anything he does wrong, yet his positioning, handling and athleticism have all given cause for concern in recent matches now. Fans never seemed to hold back on TSL who did not seem nearly as error-prone. However, we cannot afford mistakes on the scale he’s made them in the last 3 matches and it would be ill-judged of McCann to allow him to continue after another poor performance yesterday.
Lawlor will surely be picked for the Cup match anyway, and no doubt he’ll not keep a clean sheet, but I think McCann should give TLT a rest to gather himself together before he reinstates him for another League appearance.
posted 1 day, 5 hours ago
I had thought McCann might have given Lawlor a start on Saturday after TLT's last two performances, and as Donaldo thinks, no matter about Wednesday's goals against, Lawlor should start the next league game.
I do not know what has gone wrong with TLT after a fairly confident start to the season. In addition to glaring errors, his distribution, including some very risky passes out of the back, had gone downhill in quality.
After a dreadful first half, things were looking better and then Bailey's great header. As we did not quickly get a second, I thought it'll be one of those games where the next team to score will win. Unfortunately I was right, but it was not the Rovers.
The problem up front is that our wide men, Molyneux and Gibson, are having poor games, and although Sharp runs his socks off, he gets bundled off he ball often - and of he resists the physicality, gets called for a foul.
Watching any game these days whether in League One or the Premier League, I wonder when does a push in the back become a foul or even pulling a player back by his shirt? In the Arsenal vs. Man City game there was plenty of both, some resulting in fouls. However there was a full two hand push by a Man City player that toppled an Arsenal player, and nothing was given.