| Wrexham could not ask for a more difficult task
when we look to end a sequence of eight straight defeats in all
competitions with the visit of runaway league leaders MK Dons.
There is a stark contrast between the two sides when
the team with the worst home record entertains the team with the best
away record in the league, but football does have a tendency to throw up
strange results now on and again.
Wrexham are in a desperate need to end this poor run
of form to avoid being cut adrift at the bottom of League Two as we
currently sit seven points adrift of Dagenham & Redbridge in
twenty-second position.
The MK Dons did go down to a surprising 1-0 home
defeat to Barnet last weekend but this did end a run of four straight
wins and two of these were 1-0 victories at fellow promotion hopefuls
Darlington and Rotherham.
The result still left the Dons with a healthy seven
point cushion over second placed Hereford and eleven points from
Darlington who occupy the position below the final automatic promotion
spot.
But with only one defeat and ten goals conceded on
their travels this season, the MK Dons still arrive at the Racecourse in
full confidence and will be looking to bounce back from the Barnet
performance that coach Ray Mathias labelled as "unacceptable".
Mathias followed manager Paul Ince to Milton Keynes
from Macclesfield in the summer after the pair performed the great
escape at the Cheshire club.
Ince replaced Martin Allen as manager after he left
the club for his short stay at Leicester in the Championship after the Dons missed out in
the play offs semi finals last season.
The Dons have the second best scoring record in the league so far this season
and Keith Andrews is their leading scorer with eleven goals from
midfield.
On the plus side, the two games that the Dons have
failed to score in this season have both ended in defeat but this does
mean us keeping a clean sheet for the first time in eight games!
Recent Encounters:
The
clubs have only met on four occasions in the league with Wrexham yet to win
any of the games.
The Dons won both games last season by a 2-1 scoreline and
came from a goal down on both occasions.
Our three games against Wimbledon before their name change
were FA Cup ties.
The overall league record sees MK Dons with three wins and there
has been one draw in the four games played.
Team News:
Wrexham have Chris Llewellyn available after he
completed a one game ban at Grimsby last weekend but Mark Jones picked
up a hamstring injury in this game and is now side lined for at least a
month.
There will be a hatful of home debuts tomorrow with
recent arrivals Stuart Nicholson, Phil Bolland, Jeff Whitley, Danny
Sonner, Gavin Ward, Carl Tremarco, Paul Hall all available for selection
but Ryan Valentine has joined his former club Darlington.
Sam Aiston is still struggling through injury but
Robbie Garrett has also rejoined on loan from stoke.
Danny Williams and Eifion Williams remain on the
sidelines with back and hamstring injuries respectively.
MK Dons manager Paul Ince is set to hand a recall to
fully recovered forward Aaron Wilbraham.
Experimental striker Jude Stirling could now slot back into his usual
role at right-back in place of Luke Howell.
Elsewhere in League Two:
Second bottom Mansfield were boosted with their first
away win of the season at Chester last season but face a difficult task
at home to fourth placed Darlington, who are three points from the final
automatic promotion spot.
The Stags have opened a four point gap on us but still
trail Dagenham & Redbridge by three points who are also at home to
Grimsby who, as we can testify last weekend, have hit a rich vein of
form to pull clear of the relegation battle.
Lincoln are just one point further ahead of Dagenham
in the table and they travel to Macclesfield who are realistically the
last team involved in the relegation battle in eighteenth place as
Bradford, the next placed team, are four points further ahead on thirty. |
