It has now been 6 years since we first played the relatively recent “re-formed” Dons. In their short lifetime, the Wombles have shot up through the divisions and now compete at a level where they share a division with some of the original Wimbledon’s opponents, including ourselves. Last season I tried to put a bit of light onto how I felt originally what happened to the Wimbledon fans over the past couple of decades and how I feel now. But almost a decade and half has lapsed since the club everyone knew and loved disappeared and a new club was manufactured and ripped from the community. Not many supporters liked this, but now time is passing, supporters approaching their 20s will have no idea who the crazy gang were, so to a new generation of fans up and down the country, AFC and MK, the animosity is fast disappearing. Myself though, I do secretly like to see the Dons do better than MKD, maybe it’s an age thing.
Under ground, over ground
Wombling free, that is one way of putting our travels this season. I will never get tired of highlighting our away form this season under McCall, and long may it continue. We’ve come through some very tough away games of late, broken unbeaten home league records for 3 consecutive away matches, and we are beating the teams at the top. You have to go back almost a month and half, 6 matches in the league to find a game the Bantams failed to get onto the score sheet. City have won 6 of their last 7 away games in all competitions, and now we face a team that have the worst home record in the division, who have just managed 2 wins and 3 draws from 11 games and the only team not to score double figures thus far. Last weekend the Dons lost 0-4 at home (Wigan), and in the league they have 1 win to their name for the past 2 months. This really should be an easy win for the away kings.
It Ardley goes that way for the Bantams
As we all know, if City are going to have a bad game, it will be against a club that is having a dire time. I would be more surprised if we win than if we lost the game, and with Neil Ardley in charge of the Dons, a manager who has already been a winner in this fixture, will have the nous to pull up one of the shocks of the Xmas weekend. City had a couple of knocks against Southend United last weekend, a tough win, tight win, could the last game taken a bit too much out of McCall’s charges? I would stay well clear of this fixture on any accumulator this weekend. A game I wouldn’t say where the Dons can win, but a game where the Bantams can easily lose.
Head to head and form
7 games
3 AFC Wimbledon wins
4 Bradford City Wins
0 Draws
The 114 year old Bantams and the 15 year old Dons are pretty level when comes to stats. City got the double last season with this fixture ending 2-3 to McCall’s men even though the Dons took a 2-1 lead with goals coming from Jordy Hiwula-Mayifuila then a response from Dons through Tom Elliot and Lyle Taylor. James Hanson brought matters level from the spot and a last minute winner. The previous game at Kingsmeadow was THAT season, back in Feb 2013, a 2-1 for the Wombles City took the lead through Garry Thompson, but the home side had Jack Midson and Gary Alexander get onto the score sheet making it 2-1. The Dons also got the double at the first time of asking in the 2011/12 season.
Don last 6 LLWLDW
Dons last 6 home LWLDWL
City last 6 WWLWWL
City last 6 away WWWWLW
Looking good for the Bantams, The Don’s form looks okay’ish, but recent wins have come in cup competitions, if you overlook the cups, the Dons really are very poor at the moment. Any and every team will want to play them at the moment.
AFC Wimbledon’s last 6 results
Wigan Athletic (H) 0-4 loss
Yeovil Town (A) 2-0 loss
Charlton athletic (H) 3-1 win
Walsall (H) 1-2 loss
Oldham Athletic (H) 0-0 draw
Bristol Rovers (A) 1-3 win
City’s last 6 results
Southend United (A) 1-2 win
Rochdale (H) 4-3 win
Oldham Athletic (H) 0-1 loss
Plymouth Argyle (H) 3-1 win
Shrewsbury Town (A) 0-1 win
Scunthorpe United (H) 1-2 loss
Last 6 league fixtures between City and the Dons
Apr 2017 – City 3-0 Dons
Oct 2016 – Dons 2-3 City
Feb 2013 – Dons 2-1 City
Aug 2012 – City 5-1 Dons
Mar 2012 – Dons 3-1 City
Sep 2011 – City 1-2 Dons
Goals in numbers, last 6 games
Dons For 7, Against 10, Blanks 3, Clean sheets 1
Dons (home) For 8, Against 11, Blanks 1, Clean sheets 1
City For 12, Against 8, Blanks 1, Clean sheets 1
City (away) For 11, Against 6, Blanks 0, Clean sheets 2
Boz’s match verdict: Draw
5 Fun Facts
1. Did you know that the Wombles, created by the late Elisabeth Beresford will celebrate their 50th birthday next year originally appearing as Puffin Books publications in 1968.
2. The game on Saturday will be played a day before the 7th anniversary of Elisabeth Beresford’s death. She was 84 years old.
3. Players to play for both clubs are Dominic Poleon, Jake Reeves and Charlie Wyke. Poleon and Reeves we snatched off the Dons in the summer this year. Poleon played 49 games scoring 13 goals over 1 season whilst Reeves in 2 and a half seasons managed 123 games scoring 4 goals. Wyke had a loan spell at the start of 2014 making 11 games scoring twice. Their City stats reads, Poleon 22 games 6 goals, Reeves 23 games and Wyke who joined in January has managed 41 games scoring 18 goals.
4. Did you know that AFC Wimbledon’s ground, Kingsmeadow is actually owned by Chelsea, and is also the home of Chelsea ladies, with a capacity of 4850 and was originally built in 1989, the home of Kingstonian FC.
5. AFC Wimbledon has recently been granted permission to build a new £25 million, 11,000 seater stadium which building will begin next summer and hope to be completed for the 2019/20 season. The current attendance record stands at 4870 against Accrington Stanley.
