Having reclaimed top spot in League Two on Good Friday, County return to Edgeley Park this weekend to take on play-off chasing AFC Wimbledon, looking to take another step closer towards League One.
Dave Challinor described his side’s 3-0 win over Forest Green Rovers on Friday as County’s most complete performance of the season, with the home side failing to muster a single shot on or off target in the entire game. Goals from Callum Camps, Rico Richards and Connor Lemonheigh Evans made it seven games unbeaten for the Hatters.
Elsewhere in League Two, previous leaders Mansfield were beaten 2-0 at promotion rivals Wrexham, meaning County returned to the top of the table for the first time since February. We sit one point clear of both of those sides with a game in hand, meaning six wins from our remaining seven games would guarantee the League Two title.
In the race for automatics, we sit four points clear of MK Dons with two games in hand and seven clear of Barrow, having played the same number of games as the Bluebirds.
Monday’s opponents AFC Wimbledon come to Edgeley Park in eighth place, just one point off the play-off places following a 1-1 draw at home to Harrogate Town on Friday. The Dons have just five games left to play this season, as they look to secure their place in the top seven.
Other games to keep an eye on this week:
- Mansfield Town v Accrington Stanley
- Crewe Alexandra v Forest Green Rovers
- Notts County v MK Dons
- Morecambe v Barrow
- Doncaster Rovers v Wrexham (Tuesday night)
Things you need to know:
- Tickets in the Vitality Railway End are still available for this fixture, with all other stands now sold out! Click here to order yours today!
- As part of our County Collective programme, we aim to make Edgeley Park a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone who visits. Click here to see a full list of new initiatives that have been introduced at the ground this year!
- Don’t forget to turn up early to Edgeley Park to visit the County Courtyard, which will be opening its doors from 1.00pm! For more information on all the food and drink on offer this week, click here.
- Coming to the game on Monday? Click here to view our Fan Information pack, containing all you need to know ahead of your visit to Edgeley Park.
- This Bank Holiday fixture will be available for all supporters to stream over on Stockport County Live, featuring live commentary from Jon Keighren and Sam Byrne. Click here to purchase your video match passes today.
Since we last met:
It was the second half of the reverse fixture between these two sides back in September where everything started to change in Stockport County’s season.
Having won only one of our opening six league games, County trailed 1-0 at half-time at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, but a stirring fightback in the second half saw us turn it round thanks to goals from Louie Barry and Will Collar.
That game was the start of our record-breaking 12-game winning run, whilst for the Dons a first home defeat of the campaign saw them drop out of the play-off places and down to 11th place.
The London outfit are made of strong stuff under Johnnie Jackson this season though, and have spent much of the campaign in and around the top seven. They lost only one of their next seven games after that defeat, taking points against Crewe, Mansfield and Barrow along the way.
They were dealt a blow in January following the loss of star striker Ali Al Hamadi, who joined Championship leaders Ipswich Town for what was a record fee received by AFC Wimbledon. The Iraqi had scored 13 times in the first half of the season for the Dons, and has since scored four in ten in the Championship.
It was undoubtably a big loss for Jackson’s side, and came at a time when they had dropped down to tenth following back-to-back defeats against Wrexham and arch-rivals MK Dons.
Anyone expecting them to drop off in the play-off chase, however, will have been disappointed, and the signing of Republic of Ireland international Ronan Curtis up front has been key to keeping them in the mix.
The former Portsmouth forward hadn’t played since February 2022 after a knee ligament injury, but having been brought in late in the window has scored some big goals for the club over the last few months. He marked his debut in style with a stoppage-time winner at home to Mansfield, and has since chalked up goals against Barrow and Harrogate.
The standout moment of his time with the Dons, however, came against rivals MK Dons – another stoppage time winner for his team, to send the Cherry Red Record Stadium into delirium. The forward’s participation in Monday’s game is in doubt, however, after the forward was sent off in Friday’s draw against Harrogate – although manager Jackson indicated after the game that the club would appeal the decision.
Coming into this game, the Dons have now lost just one of their last seven games in League Two, a run that included four consecutive clean sheets in March. Back-to-back draws against Crewe and Harrogate have stalled their progress over the last few weeks, and having played more games than all of the chasing pack below them, they come into Monday’s game in need of wins from their final five in order to keep their promotion dream alive.
Match Stats:
- Monday’s game will be just the fourth meeting between County and AFC Wimbledon in their current format. Of the previous three encounters, we have two wins to Wimbledon’s one.
- Ben Hinchliffe and AFC Wimbledon goalkeeper Alex Bass have both kept 15 clean sheets in League Two this season, the most of any ‘keepers in the division.
- Ibby Touray has now registered eight assists for County this season, the most of any player in the squad.
- Former AFC Wimbledon loanee Connor Lemonheigh Evans has scored four goals in his last ten appearances for County, having scored three in his previous 37 games for the club.
