Defender in the squad for development game
Will Nightingale will tomorrow make his return in a Final Third Development League match at Gillingham.
The 20-year-old Dons academy product, who made five first-team appearances earlier this season before suffering a serious knee injury that kept him out for six months, is set to start in the game at Gillingham’s training ground (1.00 pm kick-off).
Connor Smith is ready to increase his match sharpness with a run-out after missing almost a month with a thigh injury. Egli Kaja is also pencilled in for a return by coach Alan Reeves after a longer spell on the sidelines with a thigh problem.
The trio will face a strong Gillingham side as Gills assistant manager David Kerslake confirmed that first-teamers Bradley Dack, John Egan and Cody McDonald will all be included after spells out through injury.
Alan Reeves said: “Will has been back in training and he has been fine, but he’s been a little rusty. It’s just a fitness exercise for him now. He will not play a full game, but he will start and we will see how it goes.
"It is called a development league and for the younger lads like Paul Kalambayi and Toyosi Olusanya they need to be pitched in against first-team players. You can do as much coaching as possible on the training field, but it doesn’t compare to facing first-teamers in a match.”
The young Dons will be aiming to produce a strong finish to the season as they can still win the Final Third Development League South Division.