The Official AFC Wimbledon Match Thread (Sponsored by Blue Home Kits "for all your kit clash needs")

A deserved home win last time out against Walsall saw us extend our unbeaten run to the joint longest in the EFL and saw Glenn Morris earn the record for most League 2 clean sheets. It’s a positive start to the season as we move into the first of the cup competitions this term, with AFC Wimbledon making the short trip to Priestfield.

Gareth Ainsworth will probably look to mix things up with the line-up tonight, although he hints that it will still be a strong side as he aims to maintain momentum. Masterson is one casualty from the weekend and will likely be replaced by Sam Gale, while the door is also open for the likes of Khumbeni, Williams (J), Turner and Wyllie to try and stake a claim for more first team involvement. There’s also a chance that we may finally see an appearance from some of our new signings in competitive action, with Vokes and Palmer-Houlden yet to feature and Aaron Rowe, who ended last season so brightly, also close to a return from injury.

Our opponents tonight are familiar ones, although as a result of their promotion via the play-offs in May there will be no league fixtures against them this term for the first time in ten seasons. Johnnie Jackson’s side played the very first game in the EFL for 2025/26 with a Friday-night kick-off as they lost 1-0 away at Luton via a late own goal. However, the Dons bounced back last weekend with a 2-0 home win against Lincoln, one of eight new signings, Nathan Asiimwe, netting the second. Nathan Bishop in goal is an excellent summer signing, having previously shown enough talent as a young stopper for Saaaarfend to earn a move to Manchester United, while young Jamaican international Delano McCoy-Splatt who has arrived from Fulham is worthy of a mention due to his fantastic moniker.

The head to head is led by the Dons, 10 wins to seven with six draws since the first meeting in 2011. We have recent form against them at this very stage of the League Cup, a 0-2 win that was the pretty much the highlight of the dreadful first-half of the 2022/23 season. Two last minute goals from Mandron (60 apps 10 goals) and Jordan Green (26 apps 1 goal) sneaked the win for us on our second visit to Plough Lane in the space of 11 days having lost our season opener in the league by the same scoreline.

For the highlights, and given the dearth of convincing home wins against this mob, I’ve broken with tradition and plumped for last season’s 1-0 home win in our penultimate home game. Wimbledon's total lack of imagination in terms of alternative shirts meant we played in our green third kit on our own turf, but karma paid off with Bradley Dack's composed lay-off for Joe Gbode to absolutely lash one into the roof of the net being of a quality we've not seen enough of in recent times. Much more of that this season, please lads.

Following a decent 6500+ crowd against Walsall, we’ll be looking at around half that if we’re lucky this evening. There are currently 4330 tickets remaining unsold in the home ends (sad as I am, I love that new feature of the ticket site that provides the remaining seats for each block) and the Wombles will probably bring at least 1000 fewer than they did for their last visit. The game is available on Sky or through NOW TV as a one-off but 15 quid seems a bit steep to watch a game in a competition that lost its lustre a long time ago.

Our fixture away at Tranmere on Saturday is a far more important proposition than tonight, their 4-0 tonking of GA's former charges, Shrewsbury at the weekend shows we'll be in for another tough ride, so managing minutes and avoiding injuries is key this evening.

Enjoy the game if you are going and…

COYG!!!