Glyn Hodges said that Scott Wagstaff is likely to return to Wimbledon’s squad for the League One match at Portsmouth on Saturday.
Whether he starts or not, Scott will add all-important experience to the squad for a big game after recovering from a calf injury, and our manager is pleased to have him back. Of course, new signing Mads Beck Sorensen could make his debut at Fratton Park after signing on loan from Brentford.
Though Anthony Wordsworth (calf), Kwesi Appiah (ankle), and Adam Roscrow (thigh) have all made significant strides this week, Glyn added that he’s trying to arrange a friendly match for them to play in first, rather than pitch them straight back in.
“We will be looking to add Scott to the squad,” confirmed Glyn. “Whether he gets to start I don’t know, we will take a look at him and see whether it’s too soon or not. It’s good to have him back and outside this week we’ve had Woody, Kwesi, and Adam Roscrow out there, so they are champing at the bit as well. Fingers-crossed, they are back soon, so that we have more of an experienced squad, with more competition for places. We’ve organised a friendly on Tuesday afternoon, so they will play a part in that. It’s important because they need minutes under their belts before they step into League One football again.”
In his update ahead of the game, Glyn said that preparations have gone very well as Wimbledon return to League One action after a break and he’s looking forward to the challenge at Fratton Park.
“It was a tough Christmas period and I mentioned after the last game that we tired a little bit against Southend and we should have been over the line by a country mile. I think if we had been in the FA Cup that would have been a real difficult tie, so we gave them a few days off to rest up. This week we’ve been able to get some real work in and planning for the Portsmouth game. It’s been a good week, they are lively, and it couldn’t have gone any better.
“Pigs is playing well and scoring, Marcus is doing the same, so we’ve got a real threat up there, and for those two to get nominated for awards shows that they are in a good place and we’re in a good place. Hopefully, that continues and our players can get nominated for more awards. They are a threat, we know what we’ve got, and it’s just making sure we feed them, that we get balls in there, so that they keep getting their goals.
“We’ve done some work on the game and I mentioned that it took us a while to get comfortable at Bristol Rovers. Perhaps we have to get our feet under the table a little bit quicker, but we caused Bristol Rovers a problem because we were good enough on the ball to do that. We just encouraged them to show confidence and grow into the game. Portsmouth can be a hostile place, but what a place to go and play. I used to love going to play there and it’s a great old stadium with a lot of history and there’s no better place to get some points on the board.
“They have made some good signings, they’ve taken Steve Seddon, and they have a strong squad. We know what we will be up against, but it’s just about making sure that we give a good account of ourselves and carry out the game plan.
“Our away fans are fantastic. They go far and wide and Portsmouth is a local one, so hopefully as many as possible can go and they get right behind us. It’s a two-way street and we need to give them something to shout about as well. Any bit of encouragement they can give us will be great, let’s feed off each other, and see what we can do.”