County travel to unbeaten AFC Wimbledon this weekend, looking for a first away win of the 23/24 campaign at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.
Despite racing into a 2-0 lead against Crawley at Edgeley Park last weekend, County had to rely on a late equaliser from Tanto Olaofe in the end to save their blushes and salvage a point from a second half that looked to have gotten away from them.
That result leaves us with one win, two draws and three defeats from our opening six games, one point better off than at this stage last season but still sat down in 20th place, after a difficult start to the campaign for Dave Challinor’s side.
It’s very much a different story right now for AFC Wimbledon, who come into Saturday’s game as one of three sides still unbeaten in League Two, although they too threw away a 2-0 lead in their last league outing, eventually drawing 2-2 at Newport County.
They currently sit in 5th place with two wins and four draws, only three points behind current league leaders Notts County and five points above County.
Our Opponents:
It’s been some turnaround for Johnnie Jackson and his side this season, with performances so far in stark contrast to those seen in a tame finish to the last campaign.
The Dons entered the new year well placed for a play-off push in their first season back in League Two after relegation; sat two points off the top seven in 11th, and a 1-0 win against County in late January actually briefly lifted them above us in the league table.
That result though, secured through a second-half header from midfielder Harry Pell, would prove to be one of only two wins in their final 23 games of the campaign, with 13 defeats in that time seeing them plummet down the league table. Although the points picked up in the first half of the season meant they were never in any real danger of a second successive relegation, they ended the year in a lowly 21st place – five points above the drop zone.
Jackson, in just his second managerial role following a short stint in charge of Charlton Athletic, has remained in charge over the summer, with the 41-year-old turning to the transfer market to try and address his side’s woes.
A new-look defence certainly has a ‘made in County’ feel to it, with former Hatter Ryan Johnson brought in on a free transfer, now partnering County loanee Joe Lewis at the back. The duo have formed part of a formidable defence in the opening weeks of the season, with Sunderland loanee Alex Bass in goal conceding just four times in their opening six league games – the best defensive record in League Two.
James Tilley, signed from Crawley Town for an undisclosed fee, has had an electric start to his Dons career, hitting seven goals in his first nine appearances from the right-hand side, whilst Sutton duo Omar Bugiel and Josh Neufville have added further depth to Jackson’s squad.
There’s more County representation in their squad too, with former Hatters midfielder Jimmy Ball signed from Rochdale in the summer, whilst Connor Evans also joined the club on loan, on transfer deadline day. Both he and Lewis will be unavailable for Saturday’s game.
They will also have to deal with the absence of first-choice striker Ali Al-Hamadi this weekend though – the 21-year-old is currently away on international duty with Iraq, who are set to play in the Kings Cup final on Sunday afternoon.
Although still unbeaten in League Two, the Londoners will be looking for their first league win at the Cherry Red Records stadium, having drawn each of their first three against Grimsby, Wrexham and Forest Green Rovers. Convincing wins away at Colchester and Sutton have made it a positive start to the season however, and they have tasted home success in cup action – beating Championship side Coventry 2-1 in the Carabao Cup.
That set up a mouth-watering tie away at Chelsea, with the Dons pushing Mauricio Pochettino’s side all the way at Stamford Bridge, taking the lead in the first half through a Tilley penalty, before eventually succumbing to a 2-1 defeat. That remains their only defeat this season in all competitions.
Match Stats:
- This will be just the third ever meeting between County and AFC Wimbledon (not including meetings with the old Wimbledon before their reformation). Both sides secured 1-0 home wins last season, County beating the Dons at Edgeley Park thanks to a Fraser Horsfall header.
- Louie Barry has now scored in each of his last three league outings. The last player to score in four straight league games for the club was Paddy Madden, in October last year. In eight appearances this season, the 20-year-old has already scored as many goals as he managed in 53 games for Salford City and MK Dons in 2022/23.
- County haven’t lost three consecutive away league games since the start of last season, when we lost each of our first five games on the road.
