AFC Wimbledon v Port Vale preview – can Valiants maintain their unbeaten League run?

Amos passes the audition?

With first choice Joe Gauci away on International duty, the choice for Darren Moore was between Marko Marosi and Ben Amos. Amos won the first round (being picked for the Football League Trophy “warm-up” game) and the second round (putting on an assured performance) to make him strong favourite to start between the sticks for this one.

Shorrock to start?

And talking of Football League Trophy auditions… with Jaheim Headley possibly joining Liam Gordon on the sidelines, this could also mean teenager Jack Shorrock, who also started in midweek, playing on the left.

Who partners Cole?

Devante Cole looks a certain starter but there’s still debate about who partners him. Ruari Paton was quiet in midweek, Jayden Stockley doesn’t look sharp after his injury and Mo Faal divides opinion. It could be that Moore opts for powerful loanee Dejaune Brown once more – with Paton and Stockley as bench options.

Known injury list

Wingbacks Liam Gordon, Jaheim Headley and Mitch Clark are all expected to be ruled out of the game.

Possible Vale line-up (3-5-2)

Amos – Debrah, Humphreys, Hall – Gabriel, Byers, Croasdale, Shorrock – Garrity – Cole, Brown

Darren Moore on the AFC Wimbledon game: “you want to keep the momentum going”

Meet the manager

43 year-old Johnnie Jackson had a spell managing Charlton Athletic before joining Wimbledon in May 2022. He steered the club to promotion through the play-offs last season and his record stands at 73 wins from 185 games in charge.

Recent form

Excellent. The Dons are on a run of five straight wins in League and Cup competitions. They won 2-1 against Wycombe Wanderers in their last home League game.

Last match

Wimbledon beat Blackpool 2-0 at the weekend in a game which resulted in the sacking of Blackpool boss Steve Bruce.

Team news

The home side are missing three players – former Valiant Ryan Johnson, Myles Hippolyte and Omar Bugiel – due to the trio being selected for international duty. Dangerman Matty Stevens has also been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Brief History

The original Wimbledon football club was formed 1889 and spend decades in non-league football. In the 1980’s they quickly rose to prominence after entering the Football League. They were promoted to the First Division in 1986, just four seasons after being in the Fourth Division. The ‘Crazy Gang’ won the FA Cup in 1989 but trouble was just around the corner. In 1991, the club left their Plough Lane stadium to groundshare and in 2001 the club announced the hugely controversial decision to relocate to Milton Keynes. The club was eventually renamed as MK Dons. The move (and the club) were rejected by the vast majority of supporters who set up a phoenix club, AFC Wimbledon. They progressed through the non-league to rejoin the Football League in 2011. The club returned to a newly built Plough Lane stadium in 2020.

Stadium

The reformed club began their journey back in the Football League at Kingsmeadow before returning to their spiritual home, Plough Lane in 2020. It has a 9,200 capacity. The ground has planning permission to be expanded to 20,000 spectators.

Three trivial facts

• AFC Wimbledon are the first club formed in the 21st century to be elected to the Football League.
• AFC Wimbledon currently hold the record for the longest unbeaten run of league matches in the Football League having played 78 consecutive league games without a defeat between February 2003 and December 2004.
• Wimbledon had used a Womble mascot named “Wandle”, named after the local River Wandle. However, in light of the the club moving to Milton Keynes, the legal licence to use the character was withdrawn by the Wombles’ creator, Elisabeth Beresford, in protest at the nature of the club’s relocation. Good on her!

AFC Wimbledon 0-2 Port Vale – Up the Vale! Valiants secure promotion with a game to go

Fixture history

The two sides first met in 1978 when Wimbledon triumphed 1-0. The return fixture at Vale Park saw the opposite result with midfielder Kenny Beech the scorer of Vale’s first goal against the Dons. The “old” Wimbledon faced Vale ten times between 1978 and 1989. After their successful return as AFC Wimbledon, the sides have played each other eight times.

Last time we met

It was a memorable occasion as the Valiants secured promotion to League One after a 2-0 away victory at Plough Lane. It was played in April this year.

Player connections

The Valiants could face former loanee Antwoine Hackford who joined Wimbledon on a permanent basis in the summer. The striker has found the target three times from twelve appearances. There’s also former Vale defender Ryan Johnson whose form has been such that he is now a full Ireland International. He will therefore be missing this match. Other players to appear for both clubs in recent years include midfielder Ethan Chislett and goalkeeper Nathan Broome.

Vintage connection

Oh come on, we know it’s obvious but we couldn’t really not have Robbie Earle in this segment. A club legend for both clubs, Earle started his career with the Valiants and propered under the management of (guess who) John Rudge. Earle won three promotions and formed a terrific partnership with Ray Walker in the Vale engineroom. Eventually, richer clubs came and Earle moved to Wimbledon for £775,000 where he made exactly 350 appearances in the top-flight. Earle also represented Jamaica in the World Cup finals.

Discuss the game

Want to discuss things before, during and after the game? Our forum’s dedicated match thread is the place to be. Share your views with fellow fans –

Match thread for the game

Quiz

Have you been paying attention? Here’s our traditional preview quiz

Who is the current AFC Wimbledon manager?
Who is Wimbledon’s record goalscorer?
What was the score when the sides last met?
Which two current AFC Wimbledon players used to play for the Valiants?

(answers below – no cheating)

Quiz answers

Johnnie Jackson
Eddie Reynolds
AFC Wimbledon 0-2 Port Vale
Antwoine Hackford and Ryan Johnson

Quiz ratings

In homage to Antwoine Hackford, today’s theme is on-loan Port Vale strikers from the last ten years. How did you fare?

0/4 – Scott Quigley
1/4 – Mipo Odubeko
2/4 – Ryan Edmondson
3/4 – Kian Harratt
4/4 – Alex Jones