AFC Wimbledon return to the venue where League One safety was secured last season with Interim Manager Simon Bassey seeking another important result.
A draw in Wimbledon's final away game of 2017/18 at Doncaster ensured a third successive campaign in League One and Wimbledon will be aiming to make it a happy hunting ground once again (the picture above shows Andy Barcham celebrating last season's vital point at the Keepmoat Stadium).
Simon's last spell as temporary manager six years ago started with a victory at Wycombe Wanderers, thanks to a winner from Sammy Moore. In his pre-match interview for iFollow, Simon talked positively about rejuvenating a completely different squad, as AFC Wimbledon aim to build on victories in the Checkatrade Trophy and the Emirates FA Cup.
The Dons will come up against a Doncaster side currently occupying 10th place in League One, but Grant McCann's side are without a win in six games in all competitions.
Below are quotes from our Interim Manager, stats, and a recap of previous meetings.
Simon Bassey:
"This week was emotionally challenging at first. I've worked with Neal for so long and I learned so much from him. For him and Coxy to lose their jobs, I take no pleasure from that. It's been an incredibly sad week for a lot of the staff, we've enjoyed some fantastic times together, but football is football, and you have to move on. Everyone moves on and the game doesn't stop.
"There are three huge points up for grabs on Saturday and we had to get into the players to start preparing them for it. We've had a good week's training. With the Friday game we rested at the weekend and had two good training days on Monday and Tuesday. Some really good work went into those days and the players responded brilliantly. We had a day of rest on Wednesday and went through tactical stuff on Thursday. We are pleased with our week so far. We hope, and we will be working really hard, to make sure we're happy with our week's work come Saturday evening.
"I could have re-signed Sammy Moore to put a 35-yarder in the top corner, but he has his own team to take care of now! Someone else has got to step-up this time. We've done lots of work, they've been in good form and in good spirits considering. We've been working really hard on that aspect of the game (scoring goals). We understand where we need to go and what the game is going to entail. The plan is in place and we will work on it again today. We will see where we are with it on Saturday evening.
"Three points are up for grabs on Saturday and we will be trying to get them. It's a long trip for the fans and our away support is fantastic. I remember that we went to Doncaster last year and it was called off. We took a huge amount for the rescheduled game and it was obviously a very important game for the club at that stage. We achieved what we needed to so that we could secure our League One status. It's another time to go to that ground with a big marker to put down and we hope to get what we want come Saturday."
Previous meetings
Doncaster Rovers 0-0 AFC Wimbledon (Tuesday 1 May 2018)
AFC Wimbledon 2-0 Doncaster Rovers (Saturday 26 August 2017)
Second-half goals from Kwesi Appiah and Andy Barcham earned Wimbledon's first victory of the 2017/18 campaign. Click on the link below to view the goals from that game.
Relive the celebrations from AFC Wimbledon fans and players at the Keepmoat Stadium in May by clicking on the link below.
Form guide (last six in all competitions)
Doncaster LDLLLD
AFC Wimbledon WWLLLL
Last time out
Notts County 4-2 Doncaster (Checkatrade Trophy)
Haringey Borough 0-1 AFC Wimbledon (Emirates FA Cup)
Tickets
Dons supporters can pay on the day by purchasing a ticket from the Club Doncaster Academy reception.
Ticket prices are as follows:
- Adults £21
- Seniors (60 and over) and 22–24-year-olds £17
- 18–21-year-olds £13
- 12–17-year-olds £8
- 11 and under £5
A guide for supporters
Travelling fans can download this useful guide to provide a detailed plan for your trip to the Keepmoat Stadium.
Live commentary
Tune into our iFollow channel for live coverage of the game with our WDON commentators keeping you up to date with events at the Keepmoat Stadium.