AFC Wimbledon must send message to Gillingham, Doncaster Rovers on Saturday: View | OneFootball

With three games unplayed, and Wimbledon in mid table, this weekend's matchup against Carlisle United is a must win for the Dons' promotion ambitions

This weekend marks the return of football to Plough Lane, with AFC Wimbledon having last played a game at the stadium against bitter rivals MK Dons on 14th September due to the dramatic flooding of the stadium and the damage caused to the pitch.

However, with confirmation coming earlier this week that the ground is now, once again, playable, the Dons need to not only start playing catch-up but also send a message.

Before the cancelled fixtures due to the pitch, the Dons were on an impressive run of form and looked to be cementing themselves firmly as play-off hopefuls come the end of the season. That has since changed though, with the Dons seeing their one game in hand triple to three, and their position in the league slide down to mid-table.

So, with a face-up against a manager who, coincidentally, was leading the opposition the last time any football was played in SW19, there is a chance that Wimbledon can begin to send a statement to those fighting at the top of the table.

Johnnie Jackson must mastermind a win against Carlisle United

Having returned to action against Salford City last weekend with a disappointing loss, Wimbledon boss Jackson needs to do his utmost and mastermind a win against the Cumbrians.

However, he is going to be handicapped in doing so, with key defender Joe Lewis, who impressively captained the Dons against Premier League Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup last week, ruled out for up to a month following a shocking challenge from Salford's Kelly N'Mai.

Despite being forced to make personnel changes, Jackson will not have too much of a challenge picking apart how Carlisle set up tactically, with Mike Williamson the man in charge of the Blues.

It was Williamson's MK Dons side that Wimbledon, in their most recent home game, picked apart superbly and eventually beat 3-0, which helped highlight themselves as a team with real quality in a very open League Two this season.

And if the former Charlton boss can do the same, this time against a team from much further up the M1 than Milton Keynes, then it will certainly help Wimbledon in their transformation from promotion hopefuls to promotion contenders.

Despite Gillingham and Doncaster Rovers being the pacesetters at the top end of the table, if the Dons were to have played and won all three games they currently have in hand, then they would be sitting in first with a three-point cushion.

There is hope from fans and staff alike that these points can, of course, be made up. However, that will take some time with all teams in League Two now facing the daunting run-in of fixtures as we slowly, but surely, make our way to Christmas, so a win against Carlisle can certainly kickstart the beginning of a great run of form, and points, for the Dons.

Why Gillingham and Doncaster need to be sent a message

The two teams currently sitting pretty near the top of the League Two table, in second and fourth respectively, were a lot of people's picks for promotion this season, but with the right type of win on Saturday, Wimbledon can certainly throw their hat into the ring.

Donny ended last season excellently, putting together a top run of form that saw them launch themselves from the lower reaches of the table at the tail end of the winter period, to the playoffs by the end of the season.

And despite losing out to Crewe Alexandra in the semi-finals of the playoffs, in a dramatic penalty shootout, they recruited well in the summer, bringing in top National League talent in the form of Joe Sbarra and fantastic experience thanks to Billy Sharp who returned on a free transfer after just over ten years away from the club, meaning that come the start of the season, many were touting Rovers to score well and cement themselves firmly at the top.

So far they have done exactly that, and have been joined by Gillingham, who, since the takeover by the Galinson family in 2022, have spent well but not quite reached the top just yet.

However, having replaced the departed Stephen Clemence at the end of last season with Mark Bonner, who previously guided Cambridge United to promotion from the fourth tier, the Gills have got themselves into a great spot at the start of this season.

Plus, with quality in abundance with likes of Bradley Dack, Max Ehmer and even former Don, Armani Little in the squad, there is no doubt that they will keep fighting till the end of the season to finally get themselves out of the fourth tier.

The Dons have looked just as quality as the two teams mentioned, and having performed admirably against a duo of Premier League teams in the Carabao Cup already this season, there is real hope that the club can see their early-season form through and achieve the long-awaited goal of promotion, but they will need to do just one other thing.

Wimbledon have to start winning games more convincingly

It is all well and good, bigging up the fact that the Dons could start a strong winning run this weekend against Carlisle, but they will also have to do it convincingly, as so far, that has been lacking from their overall game plan.

Realistically, the Dons have not won a game easily all season, with any positive results usually being tight, sometimes last minute, wins or well-fought draws. The 3-0 victory against MK does seem like an outlier, but with the second and third goals coming once the 90 minutes were up, and Wimbledon having taken the lead just after 10 minutes, the win was hardly convincing.

Albeit, it can be said that title-winning teams are often sides that just go out and get a result no matter what, each and every game, but in a fairly open league this season, there is definitely a need for thumping wins.

Also, there is definitely going to be a desire not to repeat Tuesday night's performance either any time soon, as having masterfully got themselves 3-0 up against League One Crawley Town, the Dons let that lead fade away in just over 15 minutes, only to win it at the death thanks to Joe Pigott.

It would be fair to say that that sort of comeback is less likely in the league, with much more at stake, but crazier things have happened in the world of Wimbledon, and no matter how they happen, last minute or comeback winners do seem to boost the confidence of the squad, and fans, and can start to contribute to a winning formula.

However, simply put, it is crucial that the Dons win, and win well, against their opponents this weekend, as without such a victory, it may begin to feel that, once again, Wimbledon are passing up a prime opportunity to get promoted with a superb team.