AFC Wimbledon prepare visit to Milton Keynes in their final game before emotional Plough Lane return

Wimbledon prepare to travel to Milton Keynes ahead of their fierce game against MK Dons before their emotional return to Plough Lane during midweek.

Whatever happens in the match, phoenix club AFC Wimbledon will be higher in the table than MK Dons by full-time, meaning they will also be higher on Tuesday night going into their first fixture in Wimbledon since May 1991.

This is a rivalry that is mainly one-sided. The history of the fixture has also been rather one-sided, but in MK’s favour, with the Buckinghamshire side winning six out of the nine meetings to this point.

The Dons have hosted six of the nine meetings between the two sides, and are unbeaten in four games against Wimbledon, but form is not on their side going into tomorrow’s game.

Russell Martin’s side have won just two of their nine league matches this season, losing three of their last five games. Wimbledon, meanwhile, have won just one of their last four games losing two, but are still in the top half going into tomorrow’s match.

Both sides recorded wins in midweek, MK Dons beat Wigan Athletic 2-0, while Wimbledon won 1-0 against Blackpool.

The goals for Martin’s side both came for new signings. Ryan Fraser, who joined from Burton Albion, got the opener, while Stephen Walker, on loan from Middlesbrough, got the second.

While not on the scoresheet in that game, another recent MK signing, Cameron Jerome has made a good start to life at Stadium MK with two goals to his name already, as he looks to replace the output of striker Rhys Healey who moved to Toulouse in the summer.

Results so far this campaign have not gone to plan for Russell Martin’s team, but his side’s style of play has stood out, and even made the headlines, with MK recording some of the best possession figures in Europe in the opening weeks of the season.

In the early weeks, a lot of this possession was wasted, with no-one finishing the chances created from all that possession, but the arrival of Cameron Jerome appears to have changed that, with results improving slightly since.

Wimbledon meanwhile have caught many people by surprise in recent weeks. A side expected to struggle in League One, as they have so often in recent seasons, have spent much of the season so far around the Play-Off places.

While still early on in the campaign, the Dons have 12 points from nine games so far and have two players, Joe Pigott and Ryan Longman, both on three goals so far.

Eight of these points have come from five away matches, with Wimbledon winning just one of their four games in their temporary home at Loftus Road.
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Improving their home form will need to be a priority when they return to Plough Lane, but before they can think about that they have this away fixture to contend with.

MK have won their last two home games, and have achieved seven points from four home fixtures this season so far.

As with every elite sports fixture at the moment, tomorrow’s game will be played without a crowd. However, many of Wimbledon’s persuasion would not have attended tomorrow’s game even if they could have.

The same cannot be said about their homecoming on Tuesday, which would have expected a sell-out crowd in a normal year. Wimbledon’s return home may not feel real until fans are able to return themselves.

It is not yet clear when Plough Lane will first welcome fans, with all games at the moment behind closed doors, and even when it does open its doors it is likely it will have to be with social distancing and a reduced capacity.

With those restrictions in mind, Plough Lane may never get the opening it deserves, but the stadium will not actually be completed by the time their game kicks off on Tuesday night.

The work on the stadium is not expected to be completed until December. The move coming at the time that it is, immediately after an away game at Milton Keynes, makes it look like it has been made for symbolic reasons, given that the ground is not complete.

After a 30-year wait for a home game in Wimbledon, you can understand their desire to return at the earliest possible date.

Whatever happens at Stadium MK tomorrow will likely have been forgotten about in a couple of weeks, or even a couple of days if you’re of a Wimbledon persuasion, the club has not published a single article about the fixture in the build-up, but AFC’s return to their former club’s roots will be remembered for much, much, longer.

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