Football – England – League Two
Saturday 13th September 2014 – Kickoff: 1500hrs
Accrington Stanley finally ended their horrific start to the new League Two season with a 3-2 home win over Tranmere Rovers which was a relief for all and sundry, not least of all manager James Beattie who was in a similar position at the beginning of last season I seem to recall.
Stanley had previously suffered four defeats in their first five matches with losses against Southend United, Cheltenham Town, Shrewsbury Town and Bury with just a point to their name thanks to a 2-2 draw with newly promoted Luton Town. There’s still a lot of work to do, and their first job is to ensure they don’t revert back to their losing habit on Saturday when they host AFC Wimbledon.
Attacking midfielders Naismith and Gray each have 3 goals apiece so far, but it has been Accrington’s defence that has been the major cause for concern as they’ve already conceded 13 goals to date, second highest to Carlisle United who have shipped 14 goals.
On the subject of goals, AFC Wimbledon striker Matty Tubbs (on loan from Bournemouth) knocked around in the Conference in his earlier years and was prolific at Salisbury City and Crawley Town which ultimately earned him a transfer to Bournemouth.
But with the arrival of Callum Wilson from Coventry City, Tubbs has been loaned out at the Wombles and has hit 6 goals already in the first 6 matches. With midfielder Rigg and fellow strikers Azeez and Akinfenwa (another dangerous striker at this level) in support, Wimbledon could cause an already fragile Accrington defence plenty of problems here this afternoon.
Wimbledon have already registered wins on the road at Luton Town and Southend United along with a point at Carlisle United in a thrilling 4-4 draw last Saturday with Tubbs bagging a brace.
With just one league win under their belts so far (which came last weekend), I’m not backing the hosts until they can show greater consistency. Wimbledon know how to score goals and with the proven Tubbs eager to prove a point, I’ll back the visitors with the round ball here at odds close to evens. Wimbledon might win this perhaps 2-1.
Pick: AFC Wimbledon AH0 @ 1.96 Pinnacle
