The second League 2 playoff semi-final gets underway on Saturday evening when the seventh placed side AFC Wimbledon host the fourth placed team Accrington Stanley in a real battle of the potential fairy tales.
Accrington had promotion in the palms of their hands seven days ago but couldn’t get the job done and they will be eager to take advantage of their second chance. AFC Wimbledon have their first real chance to make it back to English football’s third tier and be on a divisional par with the club that stole from them.
AFC Wimbledon
Wimbledon had a mid-season wobble but they have finished the campaign well and will be looking to take a significant advantage up north with them for the second leg. The Dons have won six of their last eight matches so they have the winning feeling.
Another advantage AFC Wimbledon could have is that they were promoted into this division via the Conference playoffs and although they have quite a few new players since then there are one or two who were still at the club back then and they have that experience to fall back on.
Accrington Stanley
It was all set up for Accrington to seal promotion in front of their own fans last week but they couldn’t find the back of the net against a Stevenage side who had nothing to play for so their party went a bit flat. They will have had to pick themselves up to get into a state of mind where they can compete in this one.
Although last week’s match would have felt like a loss it is important to remember that it was a draw and that extended Accrington’s unbeaten run to 12 matches. They need to tell themselves that they are in good form and not to panic but they are in unchartered territory which might be why they failed last week.
Team news
Neil Ardley has claimed he is monitoring the fitness of a couple of players ahead of this match but he didn’t disclose who they are which suggests they could be important players. That wouldn’t be ideal for the Wombles who have won four of their last five matches.
Accrington are going to be without Rangers bound midfielder Matt Crooks which isn’t ideal but John Coleman has managed to secure the services of loanees Tariqe Fosu, Brad Halliday, Andy Little and Joe Wright for this tilt at the postseason.
Betting
I thought the other semi-final would be tight and tense but I got that wrong but I have the same feeling about this one although I’m reluctant to act on those feelings having been burned on Thursday night.
I don’t think this will be a difference making win for either side like we’ve seen in the Championship but I do believe if either side builds a significant advantage it will be AFC Wimbledon. Not only are they are home but they don’t have the mental baggage of blowing promotion the first time around to deal with.
Already this weekend we’ve seen Brighton struggle to come to terms with having to be in the playoffs and you would think that is going to be a big danger for Accrington as well and unless Josh Windass has a big game I do sort of worry for them.
I think Accrington’s priority will be to get the tie back to the Wham Stadium still alive even if that means surrendering a narrow advantage but that could play into the hands of Wimbledon who can secure a first leg lead and maybe add the icing on top of the cake late on.
Tips
WON – Back AFC Wimbledon (0AH) to beat Accrington for a 4/10 stake at 1.87 with 188bet
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Back AFC Wimbledon to win 2-0 for a 1/10 stake at 13.00 with William Hill
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