Bristol Rovers Vs AFC Wimbledon, Memorial Stadium, Bristol, Saturday April 6th 2013, Npower League 2, Kick Off 3:00pm please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image AFC Wimbledon Info please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Founded: 2002 Team Nickname: The Dons or The Wombles Stadium: The Cherry Red Records Stadium (But known to many fans as Kingsmeadow) Capacity: 4,850 (Seating 2,265) Address: Jack Goodchild Way, 422a Kingston Road, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, KT1 3PB Main Telephone No: 020 8547 3528 Official Web Sites: www.afcwimbledon.co.uk Current League Position: 19th - PLD 42 W 13 D 9 L 20 GD -22 PTS 48 Current Form (last 5 games); W L W L L Last Five Results Aldershot Town (A) W 0-1 Accrington Stanley (A) L 4-0 Morecambe (H) W 2-0 Rotherham United (A) L 1-0 Barnet (H) L 0-1 Head To Head (3 Matches) Tuesday 23rd October 2012 - AFC Wimbledon 3 - 1 Bristol Rovers - League Two Saturday 17th March 2012 - Bristol Rovers 1 - 0 AFC Wimbledon - League Two Saturday 6th August 2011 - AFC Wimbledon 2 - 3 Bristol Rovers - League Two please log in to view this image
TEAM NEWS Bristol Rovers striker Oumare Tounkara is set to keep his place after scoring twice against Dagenham & Redbridge. Boss John Ward has confirmed that Clayton McDonald will start and Oliver Norburn could come in, while midfielder John-Joe O'Toole's loan ends this week. VIEW FROM THE TRAINING GROUND Bristol Rovers manager John Ward told BBC Radio Bristol: "I want to win more games, get over 60 points and I want to be in the top half of the table if we can. "It's fine to talk about our opponents, but we want those performances to be right for ourselves. "They've got good players, so if you want somewhere to go on Saturday afternoon, it will be a good game."
great thread as always and this reminds me to do the attendance thread as i keep forgetting about it i do that in a minute. i think we will win 3-1. tounkara, hammer and mcdonald.
Team news... We will be without O’Toole as his loan period is over following the Dag & Red game. Also Parkes will serve a two game suspension after receiving his 10th yellow of the season vs Dag & Red. Radio coverage of that game stated he wouldnt serve a suspension but they were wrong, we will be missing him - our captain - vs Wimbledon at home on Saturday and also away on Tuesday evening at Bradford. We are also waiting on the fitness of Mildenhall who missed the Dag & Red game after pulling out last minute due to an ankle injury. We should have Norburn and Richards back available though due to injury and illness respectively. Ward said... http://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/news/article/ward-on-wimbledon-752879.aspx?pageView=full#anchored
Dons are playing pretty well and won't be a pushover. But I think we'll nick it 2-1. I really hope Tounkara turns out to be fantastic. It was a very good debut and he looked good when he first came on as a sub. His movement creates space for people like Richards to cause a bit of havoc too. McChrystal said they're still going for the playoffs which is great. I think Exeter look like the weak links who may drop out. And I reckon we could be vying for that place with Chesterfield.Incredible really.Ward should get the freedom of the city if he gets us there!
i said when ward took over and kenneth came out saying play offs is still possible, i thought he was gone in the head. crazy talk. but our form is top of the table form since ward too over and in the form charts too. if we keep this form up over the last lot of games then we wont be far off. im positive we will miss out but we should be aiming for it because at least we dont just sit back and think were safe and just treat the rest of the games like a end of season run about. should be aiming for finish as high as we can an dnot just think were safe. a good finish now will keep confidence high and going throughout the summer.
A look ahead to tomorrow's game Bristol Rovers go into tomorrow’s game with AFC Wimbledon knowing a win could propel them in to the top half of the table for the first time this season. Although the Dons are fighting for their lives at the bottom end of the division, Rovers manager John Ward has made it clear that every game is still vitally important for his side as they aim to finish as high up the division as possible. THE OPPOSITION: The Dons visit the Memorial Stadium having lost their last two fixtures against Rotherham (A) and Barnet (H). Their last win came against Morecambe on March 23rd, and their last away win was a 1-0 victory against fellow strugglers Aldershot on March 16th. Wimbledon sit just three points above the relegation zone in 19th place. HOME VIEW: Speaking ahead of this weekend’s fixture manager John Ward said: “We mustn’t lose the fact that these games are important to us as well, I want to win more games, I want to get over 60 points if we can and I want to get into the top half of the table if we can. “It is fine to talk about our opponents, but we want those performance to be right for ourselves. “They have good players and we have good players, so it will be a good game. They want to win it and we want to win it, so if you want somewhere to go on Saturday afternoon it should be a good place to be.” OPPOSITION VIEW: Dons manager Neal Ardley told afcwimbledon.co.uk: “Bristol Rovers were at a low ebb and not playing well when we beat them then and they are a totally different team now. “If you look at the games we have left, Bristol are the form team that we have to play during our run-in. It will not be easy, but we cannot go there and be scared. We need to work incredibly hard as a team together, add a bit of quality, and hopefully get a bit of luck. “We had a poor Easter in terms of picking up points, but we cannot be too despondent about it. What’s important is that we do not panic. If I look at the worst-case scenario of us losing the last six games, then the only way that will happen is if we panic as a team. If we stay strong, keep trying to do what we have during the past three months, and work hard for each other, then I cannot see us not doing it.” DANGER MAN: Top goal scorer Jack Midson has netted 13 times this season for the Dons. The tall striker began his career at Stevenage Borough and spent a season with Dagenham & Redbridge before establishing himself with Bishop’s Stortford, appearing 84 times in three seasons. After a successful spell at Histon, where he scored 20 goals in 2008/09, Jack signed for Oxford United in May 2009 and featured regularly as Oxford gained promotion to the Football League. After spending time on loan at Southend and Barnet, he signed for the Dons in June 2011. He was last season’s joint top scorer in League 2, with 18 goals. LAST MEETING: When the two sides met at the Cherry Red Records Stadium earlier this season, Rovers lost 3-1, with Tom Eaves scoring the only goal for the visitors, and Tom Parkes being sent off. The last game at the Memorial Stadium was in March last year; Mustapha Carayol scored the only goal of the game to give Rovers all three points. TICKETS: Supporters have until 5pm today to take advantage of the Early Bird discount and save £2 on match day prices. Click here for more info.
AFC Wimbledon welcome back Sammy Moore from illness. Midfielder Peter Sweeney (foot) is set to miss out again and Jim Fenlon remains sidelined by a back problem but Curtis Osano and Huw Johnson are fit.
shhhhhhhhh....top half..........11th.....don't even say it.......... 5pts off play-offs..........don't be daft.............4 games left .......12 points to play for..............no way......shhhhhhhhhh!
Bristol Rovers 1 - 0 AFC Wimbledon Hitchcock 82′ FT 90 +5 - HT 0-0 Tom Hitchcock's late goal earned Bristol Rovers a win and increased AFC Wimbledon's relegation worries. Substitute Hitchcock volleyed in past Dons goalkeeper John Sullivan to settle a dire game at the Memorial Stadium. Winger Fabian Broghammer had earlier hit a post for Rovers, who move up to 11th and within five points of a play-off spot with the victory. The visitors remain in trouble although, of the bottom six in League Two, only Plymouth won on Saturday. Neal Ardley's side are two points and two places above the drop zone but their goal difference of -23 is the worst in League Two. Rovers, meanwhile, have spectacularly moved away from relegation danger since John Ward replaced Mark McGhee as manager in December and now have an outside chance of sneaking into an unlikely play-off spot. LINEUP, BOOKINGS (1) & SUBSTITUTIONS (5) Bristol Rovers 13 Mildenhall 02 Smith 04 Woodards 11 Broghammer (Lockyer - 90' ) 14 Brown 21 McDonald 29 McChrystal 15 Norburn 17 Harrison (Anyinsah - 53' ) 26 Brunt (Hitchcock - 67' Booked ) 34 Tounkara Substitutes 20 Gough 30 Lockyer 24 Clarke 10 Richard 16 Anyinsah 18 Harding 27 Hitchcock AFC Wimbledon 22 Sullivan 05 Balkestein 25 Youga 31 Meades 39 Bennett 44 Hussey 08 S Moore 12 Pell 10 Midson 11 L Moore (Sainte-Luce - 69' ) 28 Alexander (Darco - 66' ) Substitutes 33 Jaimez-Ruiz 02 Osano 03 Cummings 29 Antwi 07 Long 16 Sainte-Luce 14 Darco Ref: Duncan Att: 6,881 MATCH STATS Possession 59% - AFC Wimbledon 41% - Bristol Rovers Shots Bristol Rovers 9 AFC Wimbledon 8 On target Bristol Rovers 5 AFC Wimbledon 4 Corners Bristol Rovers 9 AFC Wimbledon 8 Fouls Bristol Rovers 9 AFC Wimbledon 7
WARD - WE HAD TO WORK REALLY HARD Manager on today's win John Ward was pleased with the way his side dug deep and picked up another win at the Memorial Stadium this afternoon. The manager admits that his side have played better and won, but he was pleased with the attitude and effort shown by his side. He said: “The boys share their work load out well, and they do their best. We have played better and lost games, but today we dug out a game. “When you are playing 46 games a season you are going to have games like this and York, and the odd game like Dagenham, but you have to cope with them all. We are developing that mental toughness. “They have a good away record, and I made no illusion to the boys these are tough games. “We have had to work really, really hard today to get that result, and when we look at it tomorrow and see 58 points and a home win we will be really pleased, that is a very good return for us in a difficult game.” The manager was pleased for a number of his players today, including Clayton McDonald who made his home debut, and Tom Hitchcock who scored his first senior goal. John said: “I am really pleased for Tom, he has come off the bench and had his little cameos and worked really hard in training, and he has enjoyed his time here. “He has gone back to QPR a few times and played some under 21 games, so for him to come on and score the winner is his reward for a lot of hard work and patience. “I like players who work really hard and give it all they have got, and Tom comes in that category. This is a big day for him and he will remember this for ever. “I wanted Clayton to do well today, and he has done, he has contributed a great deal. It was a test for him and he came through it really well. “We went in without Parkes and O’Toole who are going to be big misses, but the players have dug in and helped us keep a clean sheet.” Although there has been a lot of talk about reaching the play offs, the manager will only promise that his team will try hard in every game. He said: “I want to get to 60 points and then we will take it from there. We have three away games out of the last four, so it will be tough to add a lot of points, but we will try our best, like we always have done. “I am not making any rash comments about what we can do and what we can’t do, but all I will say is that we try very hard like we have done today. “We will try hard at Bradford on Tuesday and we will try hard at Southend. Everyone understands they will be very difficult places to go and come back with one point let alone three, but we will try our very best to improve our season.” And the manager had more words of praise for the supporters who were fantastic again this afternoon. He said: “The supporters here come and play a part in the game, if we don’t do it right they will let us know, but if we do do it right there is a really nice feeling about the place. “We are not going to be silky soccer week in week out, but we will dig out things for them and the football club. They know we are trying very hard, and we do not underestimate their part.”
JW talks so much sense. it will be tough as 3 of our last 4 games are away. he wants 60 points and will take it from there and promises his team will try hard every game. his feet are firmly grounded.
