AFC Wimbledon Vs. Swindon Town: Can The Dons stop the rot?
It has not been the greatest of 2023’s for AFC Wimbledon.
Johnnie Jackson’s side have only recorded two wins since the turn of the year and will look to fix that when they welcome Swindon Town to Plough Lane on Saturday.
Their most recent game saw them fall to a 2-1 defeat to Stevenage, a result that ended a run of five games without a victory for the Boro.
The Dons’ last victory came in a 2-0 win over fellow League Two strugglers Walsall back in March.
They now sit 19th in the table and nine points above Hartlepool United who currently occupy the first relegation spot.
Jody Morris’ Swindon head to South London off the back of Tuesday night’s 1-0 win against promotion-chasing Bradford City.
But the Robins are not in excellent form themselves.
The win over the Bantams was their first since February, and any chance of reaching the playoffs has long disappeared.
With three games left to play, Wimbledon will again turn to young forward Ali Al-Hamadi to try and save them from a relegation scare.
The 21-year-old has scored nine goals in 17 games for The Dons since signing from Wycombe in January and has been one of their few recent shining lights.
Wimbledon’s defence has been the greatest source of pain for Jackson for the last few months.
They have only kept one clean sheet in the previous 13 games and conceded 24 goals, as they dropped like a stone down the table.
Holding on to leads has also proved difficult for the Dons, as they’ve dropped a staggering 24 points from winning positions in their last 16 games.
Swindon’s problems have come in front of goal as Jonny Williams ended a 265-minute drought for the Robins with his winner on Tuesday.
Fellow Robin Charlie Austin looks to end a goal drought of his own.
The former Southampton and QPR striker has failed to find the back of the net in six games since he bagged four in a 4-4 draw with Rochdale in March.
The two sides played out a stalemate at The County Ground in December.
A result, if repeated, should be enough to keep AFC Wimbledon in League Two for another year.
Read more: AFC Wimbledon 2-3 Salford: The Wombles woes rise again in a dramatic late loss
