Neal Ardley has confirmed that Harry Forrester will be in AFC Wimbledon’s squad for tonight’s Checkatrade Trophy match at Barnet (8.00 pm kick-off).
Harry (pictured) signed last week on a season-long loan deal from Rangers and the Southern Group F match will offer the attacking midfielder a chance to boost his match fitness.
“He has done two really hard sessions with Jason Moriarty," said Neal. “Fingers-crossed, he can get a good batch of minutes on Tuesday and that takes him closer to the squad.”
Neal outlined his approach to squad selection for tonight with young players coming into the frame.
“We need to get the balance right with senior players and young players so that we give the competition a really good go,” said Neal. “Winning games of football becomes a habit and we are trying to create that. We’ve got a few players with niggles, others need a rest, and we need to give players who deserve it a chance to show what they can do. We feel that we have a good 18-20 players who know what is expected from them in games.”
Rules changes announced by the EFL in the summer mean that there is more flexibility about team selection for the Checkatrade Trophy.
Player eligibility for EFL clubs:
• A club can play any goalkeeper in the competition;
• The revised requirement of Rule 7.3 – ‘4 qualifying outfield Players from 10’.
A qualifying outfield player would be:
Any player that meets the current criteria (excluding goalkeepers), includes those who:
• Have started the previous or following first team fixture
• Are in the top 10 players at the club for starting appearances in league and domestic cup competitions for season
• Have made 40 or more first team appearances in their career
• Are on loan from either a Premier League or Category 1 Academy Club.
Dons supporters can buy tickets on the night for this game.
You can buy from the main ticket office at the following prices:
Adults £10
Concessions (65-plus and Under-21) £5
Juniors £1
There will be no segregation for this match with the East and North Stands both open.