Danny Wilson

By Oli
March 7 2009

Dons meet a Danny Wilson side for the third time this season with doubts over midfielders Alan Navarro and Jemal Johnson, and Jason Puncheon ruled out through suspension, as they look to reclaim second spot.

Dons would have been lucky to get away from the waterlogged Sixfields pitch without an injury, and sure enough Johnson picked up a knock on Tuesday night, meaning he trained on his own for most of this week and is a doubt for Saturday's trip to the County Ground. Navarro is also a doubt due to illness.

Puncheon picked up his fifth yellow card of the season last Saturday, just short of the end of February deadline that would have seen him need to reach ten to get another suspension. It is the second time in two months Punch sits out through suspension after he was sent off against Colchester in January.

If both Johnson and Navarro miss out, Flavien Belson should come in as the holding midfielder in place of Navarro while Sam Baldock could replace Johnson. It could also be a chance for Mark Wright to return to the side, with Daniel Powell, who has only just signed his first pro deal, preferred to the winger on the bench in the last few weeks. Alternatively Shaun Cummings could play further forward than his usual right-back spot.

Swindon have four possible problems for the fixture, with Lee Peacock looking most likely to miss out with a back injury. Ex-QPR defender Pat Kanyuka has been struggling with a groin problem, and Craig Easton and ex-Dons winger Jon Paul McGovern will have late fitness tests on respective calf and ankle injuries.

The Robins are without a win in three after drawing 2-2 at Martin Allen's doomed Cheltenham Town on Tuesday. Prior to that they had suffered 0-1 losses at the hands of Tranmere and Hartlepool, but those results had followed very respectable draws against Millwall, Leicester and Oldham and a superb 4-2 victory over fellow promotion challengers Scunthorpe United in what was a very difficult run of fixtures.

Dons come out of February in good spirits, having beaten Stockport and Hartlepool and drawn against Tranmere and Leicester, the latter result coming after arguably our best performance of the season. Tuesday night's draw against Northampton Town was called off with the scores level at 0-0, on a pitch that made anything resembling football impossible.

The obvious main link between the two sides is Swindon boss Wilson, who has slowly started to pull Swindon away from the relegation spots after the sacking of Maurice Malpas, although they still remain in trouble and needing results. Wilson managed to rescue the Dons from relegation four seasons ago, but couldn't stop them from falling to League Two, along with Swindon, the following season, which saw him sacked.

Signed to help the Dons bounce straight back was the 'lower league David Beckham', Jon Paul McGovern, and he enjoyed a very successful season under Martin Allen, coming second in the assists league table. Whispers of a falling out with Allen troubled him at the end of the 2006/07 season however and new boss Paul Ince decided to move him on when the bid from Swindon came in.

Sean O'Hanlon returns to the County Ground having captained Swindon before turning down a new contract and leaving for Milton Keynes and cementing himself as a key player for all three of the Dons managers he has played under since signing. Swindon were eventually compensated by tribunal with a fee rising to £175,000, but the manner of his departure should see him recieve a tasty reception on Saturday.

The referee for Saturday's match will be Mr Andy D'Urso, formerly a Premier League official but this year refereeing on the Football League. This will be his first Dons match this season, but last year he oversaw both our 1-0 win against Darlington at stadium:mk as well as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy south final second leg that saw the Dons book a place at Wembley via a penalty shootout. Mr D'Urso will be assisted by Mr J Busby and Mr R G Vaughan, and the fourth official will be Mr L Swabey.