Weymouth v AFC Wimbledon: What can the Terras expect from the Dons?

The Dons have come a long way since forming in 2002, rising up as high as League One before (like Weymouth) suffering relegation last season.

When it comes to matchday on Saturday, November 5, though, what can Weymouth fans expect from opposition ranked 56 places above them in the English football pyramid?

Echosport’s Neil Walton spoke to AFC Wimbledon fan and West Dorset Magazine sports writer Harry Adams to find out all about the South West Londoners.

READ MORE: Havant 1-2 Weymouth - FA Cup match report

NW: “Perhaps you could tell us your reaction to the draw, because it’s a rare thing for Weymouth to reach the first round and to draw a League club as well.”

HA: “To be fair, we were hoping, without sounding patronising towards Weymouth, for what we would call an easier tie. We’ve had a pretty bad start to the season only winning three games out of the first ten. Form’s pretty bad at the minute and fans aren’t happy. Hopefully playing a team that are bottom of the (National League) South will give us a chance to get a win and some momentum going, because we could do with that."

NW: “So you think it’s a pretty favourable draw?”

HA: “We think so, yes, but we’ve seen great things happen. We got dumped out last season by Boreham Wood quite comfortably. We wouldn’t be too surprised if the result didn’t go our way. We’re hoping it should be a bit of a formality, but stranger things have happened.”

NW: “Fifty-six places separate the sides, what has been the reaction of other AFC Wimbledon fans?”

HA: “It’s quite favourable. There’s a lot of jokes going around with how we know Wimbledon are, a loss has already been mooted, it’s just how things go for us. I think a lot of fans wanted a non-League club because we travelled through non-League when we had to reform after the Milton Keynes episode. We’ve got quite a soft spot for travelling to non-League grounds.”

Ahkeem Rose, centre, scored the winner for Weymouth at Havant (Image: DAVE HAINES)

NW: “No thoughts that it could be a banana skin, because you are going to a side who are struggling in the league?”

HA: “I’ll be going into it with confidence but always in the back of your mind, wherever you go in non-League, with bad weather, a big crowd, the pitch might not be like we’re used to in the Football League, there’s always the chance of a banana skin.”

NW: “What about the away following? Wimbledon had one of the bigger away supports in League One last season and the teams have never played each other before.”

HA: “No, not as far as I’m aware. I’ll be very surprised if it’s not a sell-out, it’s very easy to get to. I expect a strong following. I went a couple of years ago at Haringey in the first round of the cup.”

NW: “And for Weymouth fans who probably haven’t watched too much of AFC Wimbledon this season, what can they expect?”

HA: “It’s weird because it’s not really much different to how you’d expect back in the day with the old Crazy Gang. It’s very physical still, we’ve always been a physical side. We’ve got a couple of really big guys at the back, we’ve got Paul Kalambayi who’s as strong as an ox and players like Lee Brown. So, very physical, direct and we’ve got two big strikers. We’ve got Josh Davison and Kyle Hudlin who’s the tallest player in the Football League. Physical, direct play hasn’t really been working for us this season. The fans are getting quite disgruntled. We’re still going with three at the back, with two young wing-backs in Jack Currie and Isaac Ogundere who have probably been our best players this season. A lot of our play can go down the wing. We’ve got a couple of quick players as well, we’ve got Ayoub Assal, a young striker who’s probably our most dangerous player.”

Jack Currie, left, has been identified as one of two AFC Wimbledon players to watch out for (Image: JAMES MANNING/PA WIRE)

NW: “You picked out the two wing-backs there.”

HA: “Yeah, they’ve both been out on loan in the lower leagues at teams like Hampton & Richmond and Basingstoke. They’ve broken in to the first team this season. In what’s been a pretty disappointing season where there’s not been too many outstanding players, those two have offered us a bit of hope for the future, they’re very exciting. Those two are the ones to watch, as well as Ayoub Assal, he’s brilliant.”

NW: “You’ve talked up the physicality of AFC Wimbledon as a strength, so could they be vulnerable to a team that passes it well? Weymouth probably do slide in to that category at their best.”

HA: “Absolutely. That’s how we’ve been caught out most of the time this season, by teams who keep the ball on the floor. The times where we’ve won have been against teams who lose the physical battle and they often lose the mental battle as well, especially at Plough Lane. But away at teams who know how to keep the ball on the floor, they catch us out. If our form going into the game is as bad as it is now, with heads dropping and people calling for the manager’s head, I wouldn’t be surprised if Weymouth pull off a shock.”

NW: “There’s a bit of unrest among the supporters about the manager Johnnie Jackson?”

HA: “It’s tough for him, he got appointed in the summer and we’re not inundated with money in terms of being able to sack him and give him a pay-off. There is that aspect of it as well. Personally, I maybe think it would be a little harsh on him at the minute but I also wouldn’t be devastated if he got the sack. There’s a lot of unrest among the supporters, especially after the loss against Sutton. There were some quite unsavoury scenes at full-time with fans getting on the players’ back. The club actually put out a statement about that, so it’s not looking good for him at the minute. There’s a good chance he might not even be the manager by the time we play Weymouth, but we’ll see.”