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Blues Travel to Wimbledon Aiming For Quick Return to Top Six
Monday, 10th Feb 2020 16:26

Town travel to face AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday night looking to make a swift return to the top six.

Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Sunderland saw the Blues drop to seventh, the first time since the opening day of the season that they have been out of the automatic promotion or play-off places.

Speaking after the defeat to the Black Cats, boss Paul Lambert said Town will now be in among the chasing teams rather than those being chased, as has been the case for most of the campaign up to now.

“Maybe we have to hunt other teams now rather than the other way around,” he said.

“We have to hunt teams, for the first time we’re out of the top six this season, sometimes that can help you, at certain times. You have to go on a run, we have to go on a run.

“It’s not a league like the Premier League where Liverpool are so far ahead it looks like you’ll never catch them. There are still a lot of teams in this division who can catch up."

He added: “As I said before, now we become the hunter, now we have to hunt teams down and see if they can handle being in there. There’s a long, long way to go, 14 games to go. We have to start to win.”

The Blues make their first ever visit to Kingsmeadow having fallen to three successive third tier defeats for the first time since the opening month of the 1956/57 season.

Despite falling to the third of those defeats on Saturday, Lambert was pleased with the performance in the first half and is unlikely to stray too far from the team which started against the Black Cats, although with one or two changes on the cards.

Tomas Holy will continue in goal behind the back three of skipper Luke Chambers, James Wilson and Luke Woolfenden.

The wing-backs are unlikely to change with Gwion Edwards suspended for another match due to his 10 yellow cards and Luke Garbutt not expected to be back from his thigh strain. Myles Kenlock and Janoi Donacien will continue on the left and right respectively.

Lambert could bring Emyr Huws back into the XI in midfield for Cole Skuse alongside Flynn Downes with Alan Judge or Jon Nolan ahead of them.


Up front, Lambert could bring Kayden Jackson back into the team, perhaps alongside James Norwood, with Will Keane moving to the bench.

Wimbledon's on-loan Brentford defender Mads Bech Sorensen is a big doubt having suffered a head injury in Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Fleetwood.

Betters news for the Dons is that Scott Wagstaff is over a calf problem, however, ex-Blue Anthony Wordsworth will miss out having aggravated a similar injury.

“This is going to be a hard run of matches, we know that, but we keep ourselves in games,” manager Glyn Hodges told his club's official site.

“We have a plan for each one, but I’m not going to look too far ahead. We are just focusing on playing against Ipswich tomorrow.

"I want us to have energy and we showed that in abundance at the weekend. Hopefully, our players are recovered in time and I might freshen it up a little bit, just to put some fresh legs in there.

“They need to be prepared, and they need to be relaxed and play. I don’t want them to get tense, to look over their shoulders at the run of games.

"In this league any team can be beaten. I mentioned after the game on Saturday about the young boys playing without fear. Hopefully, that spreads to the seniors. We ask questions, we play our football, and we cause teams problems. We have to continue in that vein.

“They [Town] are a good side. We’ve looked at how they play and what they do. We’ve covered that this morning and I think it’s still in the back of our minds the way that we lost at Portman Road.

“We put in a good performance that night and we were unlucky to get anything out it. We need to be at the same level again.”

Town and AFC Wimbledon had never met anywhere in a competitive or friendly fixture since the Dons’ formation in 2002 until the game at Portman Road in August when Jackson’s goal deep, deep in injury time saw the Blues come from behind to claim a dramatic 2-1 victory.

The Dons went ahead via Nesta Guinness-Walker in the 41st minute in a poor first period from Town.

But the Blues were much better in the second half, equalising through Norwood in the 81st minute before Jackson smashed in the late winner.

The Dons squad includes three former Blues. Shane McLoughlin, who made one Championship sub appearance and one League Cup start for Town having come through the academy. The Irishman, who joined the Dons in January 2018, netted his first goal of the season in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Fleetwood.

Wordsworth was at Town between January 2013 and June 2015, making 10 starts and 10 sub appearances, scoring twice.

Irish winger Dylan Connolly, who is currently on loan at Bradford, moved to Portman Road from Shelbourne in January 2015 before departing for Bray Wanderers in July 2016 without making a senior appearance.

Wimbledon have won just one of their last seven and are 20th in the table with a home record of won five, drawn six and lost four.

Following Saturday’s defeat at Sunderland, Town now have the second best away form in League One this season having taken 28 points from their 17 games to Rotherham’s 29 from 15.

Tuesday’s referee is Craig Hicks from Surrey, who has shown 72 yellow cards and four red in 23 games so far this season.

Hicks’s last Town game was the 0-0 draw with Gillingham on Boxing Day in which he showed yellow cards to Toto Nsiala, Edwards, Judge and Norwood.

His only previous competitive Town match prior to that was the Leasing.com Trophy tie with Tottenham’s U21s in September last year in which he showed just the one yellow card to one of the visitors.

Hicks also took charge of Town’s July 2017 pre-season friendly against Gillingham at the Priestfield Stadium, which the home side won 2-1.

The Kent side, who had current Blues keeper Holy in goal, went in front via a soft penalty awarded by Hicks, who kept his cards in his pocket throughout, won by ex-Town midfielder Lee Martin following a challenge by Blues captain Chambers and converted by Tom Eaves.

Squad from: Holy, Norris, Donacien, Kenlock, Earl, Chambers (c), Wilson, Woolfenden, Skuse, Dozzell, Downes, Huws, Judge, Nolan, Dobra, Jackson, Keane, Norwood, Sears.


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Dolphinblue added 16:55 - Feb 11
We will win the next 6 fixtures....FACT...COYB! COME ON! BOOM WHOOP BOOM WHOOP! Get behind the boys cannot wait for tonights game....YESSSSSS 🐬
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Saxonblue74 added 17:05 - Feb 11
73, I've resisted any response to your posts for quite some time but really can't ignore your last dig! So, I'll still be posting my "drivell" in lge 2? I have made no prediction of promotion for us this season. It was mid December when you quoted in you very matter of fact manner that our 2nd 11 would be capable of a top 2 finish. Same owner, same manager and same captain, what happened? Your love for Paul Hurst continued to shine through into the new year stating "watch this space for a PH and Scunthorpe top 3 finish". Care to update us on that?
1

Gcon added 17:09 - Feb 11
Well said Bangalore Blues.

Fickle F*cks. They loved him a couple of weeks ago.
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 17:30 - Feb 11
Saxon excellent post .
Care to respond 73 ?
For about the millionth time , I'm no Evans lover and Lambert is yet to totally convince me on the pitch , however I don't think everything they do ( plus Chambers and Skuse ) is crap or useless like you do, and when I point out you're talking c**p it makes me an Evans or Lambert lover. Grow up
At the start of the season you would probably have taken 7th at this stage .
0

BettyBlue added 17:39 - Feb 11
And after being in the top two for half the season I'm sure Booble you'll be happy and over the moon with 14th at the end of this campaign.
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blueboy1981 added 17:42 - Feb 11
A message for warktheline and his FB campaign ‘to get Evans out' - before you get too excited - Where's the MONEY coming from to do so ...!!
Without a logical answer, don't ‘bore' us anymore with such illogical rubbish.
Hollow words in every sense.
1

blueboy1981 added 17:58 - Feb 11
..... do the Maths then Bobblehat - you may just agree, before you reply ... !!

Without his bombproof contract - Lambert would have a squeaky posterior by now - and that would be deserved, certainly more than the contract was.
Catch on people, he cares far less now than most of us for sure, win, lose, or draw.
0

ITFCsince73 added 18:01 - Feb 11
Saxon Bobble. Zzzzzzzzzz.
-1

Linkboy13 added 18:03 - Feb 11
Why do people keep responding to Dolphin blues juvenile moronic comments ignore her and she will go away.
1

Saxonblue74 added 18:07 - Feb 11
Great riposte 73. Glad you don't waste our time with drivel! That'll do me for another 6 months!😂
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pup12 added 18:23 - Feb 11
Well well well.. The old must win game has come rou d again for town!! How have we got to this?? Remember Wimbledon took the lead at Portman Rd. They will up for he gane as will their small but vocal crowd.We will probably huff & puff then fall behind. Lambert will have no clue how to change the game and I fear thst will be that. As a club we need to wake up!!! We are not to good to be playing in league one, the sooner the players realise that the better. As for Lambert well he needs to find a formula that works and quick. He has had a pre season and more now to get this right??? I hope I'm wrong I'm blue through and through and this hurts. Coyb please!!!!
1

Cakeman added 19:03 - Feb 11
I can predict the pre match comments for April......something like ‘our little blip has gone on longer than I would have wanted but if we can put a wee run together to get us away from the hunting relegation pack we will be ok'
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cat added 19:11 - Feb 11
Definition of a fickle fan Gcon. Made up when we win, gutted when we lose, go on a good run then we're unbeatable, hit a losing streak then heads need to roll. It's the life of a football fan, it is what it is.
2

Dozzells_Bobblehat added 19:13 - Feb 11
Blue boy what are you on about now ?
Did you actually read what I said .
For what it's worth I totally agree with your comments to warktheline
-1


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