By Chris Slavin
Tom Soares and Harry Forrester both completed today's training session after returning from the injuries that kept them out against Oldham.
Neal Ardley is hopeful that Soares (hamstring) and Forrester (back) will be available for Saturday's match against already promoted Wigan at the DW Stadium. However, the manager added that other players are struggling to be fit for the game.
"Harry and Tom Soares trained today, so if they don't have a reaction they will possibly come back into contention," Neal said. "George Francomb is struggling and so too are Liam Trotter and Jimmy Abdou from the game last week. Between the first-team and the Under-23s I think we have a 12-man injury list at the moment, which at this stage of the season is never ideal, but we are in good spirits. The boys who will be out there are ready to have a real go."
The Dons will on Saturday be facing a Wigan side vying for the League One title on Saturday and they're just one of three sides to beat runaway Premier League Champions Manchester City this season, Paul Cook's team taking their scalp in the FA Cup.
However, Neal said the players and management are relishing the opportunity to take on Wigan, as they seek valuable points in the battle to stay up.
"It's a real challenge," Neal added. "If you don't want to play in these games against the best teams you shouldn't be playing football. It's always a challenge for a manager to try and get it tactically right. You have to make sure you are not out of the game before you've given yourself a chance to be in it.
"It's difficult because when you go through the squad, their players are very good. We want to try and get the balance right, we want to have a go. It can be seen as a little bit of a bonus game. I know that the expectation and the odds will be against us. We need to go there and try to keep the momentum we have got going. All I can really ask of the boys is that they put in a really good performance with and without the ball and see what happens."
The full interview with Neal is available to watch via the link to our iFollow channel above.