New signing Sam Walker could make his Dons debut tonight at a venue where he saved a penalty just 10 days ago!
Glyn Hodges confirmed that Sam is straight into the squad to face Bristol Rovers tonight (7.00pm kick-off at the Memorial Stadium) after signing for us on loan from Reading.
Glyn said: “Sam had been on emergency loan at Blackpool for two games and his last game was against Bristol Rovers, so he knows them. He played down there and saved a penalty against them, so he is fit and raring to go."
Blackpool were just edged out 2-1 in that match, but Sam (pictured wearing his Dons mask shortly after signing) pulled off a superb penalty save to deny Rovers marksman Brandon Hanlan.
The Dons will be without Terell Thomas due to illness, but our manager reported that the squad are in good shape ahead of the last-16 match in the Papa John's Trophy, which offers a chance to reach the quarter-finals of a national competition.
“We had a few days off, just for the boys who had to isolate. A lot of them have come back, apart from the young lads Zach and Ayoub. Terell also has an illness at the moment, so we are going to monitor him. Apart from Ben Heneghan, the others are there or thereabouts. Luke and Paul have been back training and they are very close to being signed off to join in full training, so hopefully they will be in contention soon.
"Every game we play we want to win and every competition we want to do well in. We want to go as far as possible, and it can be a stepping stone. I remember that we beat Leyton Orient just after I took over and then we got three points against Rochdale. It can provide momentum by giving the boys a bit of confidence to get positive results.
"We know what to expect (versus Bristol Rovers). Whether they make changes or not, we will be looking to go there and win the game.”
The Dons will tonight be aiming to turn the tables on a Rovers side that won 4-2 at Plough Lane in December.
The behind-closed-doors last-16 Papa John's Trophy match is available on a live stream to fans based in the UK for a match pass price of £10. Subscribers with a season pass will also be able to access the game. It will be available to supporters based overseas.
Mikey T and Rob Cornell will be commentating live from The Memorial Stadium with WDON coverage available on this service.