Match preview - Town look to continue strong form as Wimbledon visit The EnviroVent

2 October 2023

Town will go hunting for a third consecutive victory tomorrow evening when we welcome AFC Wimbledon to The Envirovent Stadium.

The impressive home win against Salford City was followed up this past weekend with a resolute 1-0 win on the road at MK Dons to leave Simon Weaver’s side within touching distance of the top-half of the table in League Two.

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Our opponents

In their return to life in League Two the Dons finished just two spots and five points off relegation last season.

Strengthening well in the summer though, the club added the likes of James Tilley, Omar Bugiel, Jake Reeves and James Ball.

And they have started brightly this time around, coming into the game in sixth position having accrued 17 points and have been defeated just once so far.

The Dons are amongst the league leaders in shots per game, averaging 16.1 whilst conceding a league low 9.9 shots per game.

Last season

There was an entertaining encounter down at Plough Lane at the end of October when two late goals for Wimbledon overturned a 2-1 deficit to snatch all three points.

Paul Kalambayi struck first for the hosts before Luke Armstrong and Alex Pattison put Town ahead early in the second-half only for Courtney Senior and Josh Davison to strike in the final five minutes to give Wimbledon a 3-2 win.

There was similar drama at The Envirovent Stadium at the end of the season when Town came back from 2-0 down to level with late goals from Luke Armstrong and Levi Sutton after Ethan Chislett’s double had put the Dons in the driving seat.

The man in charge

Johnnie Jackson is the man in charge, having taken over at the club in the summer of 2022 following the sides relegation to League Two. Jackson was previously manager of Charlton Athletic, initially impressing on a caretaker basis before landing the job permanently.

Jackson also made over 400 appearances in his playing career for Tottenham, Colchester and Charlton.

Ones to watch

James Tilley has netted seven times in nine appearance after arriving from Crawley, also adding a pair of assists whilst Iraqi international Ali Al Hamadi has continued his form from last season by hitting the target four times, including a hat-trick in the weekend win over Tranmere.

Armani Little and loanee Connor Lemonheigh-Evans add creativity and purpose from midfield and youngster Josh Neufville could also be a threat.

Solid in defence, the pairing of Isaac Ogundere and Ryan Johnson have been ever present as has goalkeeper Alex Bass.

History

The story of AFC Wimbledon is a well-known one, with the club being formed 20 years ago after the sanctioning by the FA of the move for Wimbledon FC to relocate to Milton Keynes.

The new club restarted in the ninth tier of English football, earning six promotions to make its way back to the EFL in 2011, with a further promotion to League One in 2016 before suffering relegation last season.

The club also moved back to their previous ‘home’ at Plough Lane in November 2020, with the ground built on the site of the old Wimbledon greyhound stadium just 250 yards from the original Plough Lane.

Team news

Simon Weaver faces some late fitness tests following on from Saturday’s win. Levi Sutton, Rod McDonald and Abraham Odoh will be assessed tomorrow after they sustained knocks against MK Dons.

However, more promising news is that Luke Armstrong and Jeremy Sivi have both returned to training having missed Saturday’s trip south

Match Reports

TOWN 0-1 AFC Wimbledon - Early strike consigns Town to defeat

2 October 2023

Omar Bugiel’s sixth-minute strike proved enough to consign Town to a 1-0 defeat this evening at home to AFC Wimbledon.

The early setback shook Town, who responded well but try as they might they couldn’t find a way past a tightly drilled Dons defence and end their hopes of a third win on the bounce.

There were two changes from the side that came away with all three points from the weekend trip to MK Dons. Both Levi Sutton and Abraham Odoh missed out through injury, being replaced by Dean Corneluis and Jeremy Sivi – the latter making his first start for the club.

The visitors were unchanged from the side that defeated Tranmere 4-1 in their last fixture.

It was a quick opening to the game with both sides looking to set the pace early. The visitors struck the first blow on six minutes though when Bugiel had too much time and space to drive at the Town defence but he delivered a smart finish beyond the reach of Mark Oxley to open the scoring.

Shaken by the early goal Town were then relieved to see an Ali Al Hamadi turn and shot directed straight at Oxley.

Town did find their composure though as the half progressed. The central duo of Cornelius and Josh Falkingham began to see more of the ball as Town regained a foothold. Sivi too started to pose a threat down the left-hand side.

Just after he half-hour point a marauding run from Kayne Ramsay took him past a handful of Dons defenders before playing in Matty Daly. Daly took a touch before firing off a strong shot but he couldn’t find the accuracy to beat Alex Bass.

Sivi then gave away possession cheaply which allowed Ali Al Hamadi to race past Anthony O’Connor and hit powerfully at goal but Oxley was equal to the task.

Just before the break Daly had another opportunity from distance, but again he was too close to Bass to make him work.

The visitors started the second-half brightly with Simon Weaver opting for an early change after 55 minutes that saw Josh March make a return to The Envirovent Stadium, replacing Sam Folarin.

A couple of minutes later James Daly replaced Sivi with the visitors also making a switch that saw Josh Neufville replace Aron Sasu.

Jake Reeves then had a speculative effort then was not too far wide of Oxley’s far post.

Not content to let the game drift in any way Simon Weaver then brought on Luke Armstrong, shifting things around into a 4-4-2 formation with the duo of Armstrong and March linking up for the first time.

Following the changes Town were attacking with plenty of intent but the well-organised Dons defence were making it difficult for the Town forwards to create space and moments of opportunity.

With just over ten minutes remaining Lima Gibson went into the book for a foul just on the edge of the Town box. The danger was cleared for a corner, from which substitute Harry Pell almost netted after he ghosted in at the near post to force Oxley into a smart save.

There was frustration in the dying moments as Town sensed their hopes were fading, with Rod McDonald also going into the book for dissent.

Ticket News

Wimbledon (H) Fixture Information

26 September 2023

Our next fixture at The EnviroVent Stadium takes place on Tuesday 3rd October as AFC Wimbledon make the journey to Harrogate.

Tickets

Tickets are on sale online up until kick-off, over the phone or from our Commercial Street Store during opening times.

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Tickets can be purchased at our advance rate until midnight on Monday 2nd October, after which point prices will increase by £2 or £1 depending on category.

Prices

Prices for this fixture can be seen below.

For the 2023/24 season, purchasing a ticket in advance will be cheaper than purchasing from 12am onwards on the day of the game. Admission prices will increase on a matchday (from 12am), by £2 for over 18s and £1 for U18s.

Programme

Tuesday night's match programme will be available to purchase for £3 inside the ground on matchday.

Programmes will also be able to read online, free of charge 24 hours prior to kick-off via the below link.

Read now

How to Follow

If you are unable to attend the match, supporters can watch live on iFollow for just £10, simply purchase a pass in our Match Centre and watch the action unfold from the comfort of your home.

Updates will be provided across our social media channels and via our Live Match Centre, where text and audio commentary can be accessed.

Pre-Match Entertainment

Turnstiles open from 6.15pm, along with our supporters' bars and matchday food kiosks.

Football freestyler Jay Rosa will be showing off his amazing skills ahead of the match and during half time, all in aid of charity.

You can view Jay's journey on Instagram and Tiktok - '@jayrosa1_'. To make a donation, please visit www.jayrosa.co.uk or alternatively www.mentalhealth-org.uk.

You will find our marquee bar located between the GH Brooks and Black Sheep stand, and our Supporters bar between underneath the EnviroVent Stand, next to the Exercise.co.uk hospitality suite.

Both bars serve a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including 'Yellow Black Army' and Black Sheep's popular 'Respire'.

Hot and cold food is available from multiple locations inside our ground, for a full matchday menu click here.

Our Exercise.co.uk hospitality suite will also be open, to book your place email joannetowler@harrogatetownafc.com.

Club Shop

Supporters can buy a range of merchandise from our new-look club shop inside the stadium, located next to the North Gate. Open from 6.15pm, our shop sells replica shirts, accessories, match programmes and more.

Further information, including travel and stadium safety is available in our matchday guide.

Safety notice

We would like to remind supporters that they must not throw items of any sort onto the pitch.

The club is aware of, and concerned by, the increasing number of occurrences of items being thrown, which contravene the EFL ground regulations.

all items thrown are considered missiles, regardless of what is thrown and whether or not it hits anyone.

Any supporter identified by the clubs CCTV will be issued a significant club ban and may also face potential police action.

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Standings

Match preview - Town look to continue strong form as Wimbledon visit The EnviroVent

TOWN 0-1 AFC Wimbledon - Early strike consigns Town to defeat

Wimbledon (H) Fixture Information

Harrogate Town vs AFC Wimbledon - Highlights - Tue 3rd October 2023

Harrogate Town vs AFC Wimbledon - Replay - Tue 3rd October 2023

Harrogate Town vs AFC Wimbledon - Extended highlights - Tue 3rd October 2023