The Dons are set to head north on Tuesday night with a trip to the One Call Stadium to take on Mansfield Town.
Johnnie Jackson’s side will be looking to pick up maximum points after being denied at the death by Doncaster Rovers on Saturday as late goals from Tommy Rowe and Ro-Shaun Williams cancelled out a Nathan Young-Coombes inspired 2-0 lead.
Here we give you the lowdown on our next opponents:
In the Dugout
Nigel Clough joined the Stags as first-team manager back in November 2020 and has been aiming to get the club promoted to League One ever since.
Prior to taking over in NG18 the 56-year-old enjoyed spells in the dugout with the likes of Burton Albion, Derby County and Sheffield United. He is the son of the legendary Brian Clough and also enjoyed a successful playing career at his father’s former club, Nottingham Forest.
How have they fared so far?
Mansfield began their League Two campaign with a 2-0 away defeat to Salford City, before going on to win their first home game of the season 1-0 against Tranmere Rovers thanks to a Riley Harbottle goal.
This was followed up by a Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Derby (2-1) and most recently a 1-0 defeat away to Leyton Orient in the league.
The Ones to Watch
Anthony Hartigan is a player that needs no introduction to Wimbledon fans, with the talented midfielder having joined our club’s Academy at the age of 14.
Anthony went on to play a part in just north of 150 games for the Dons before departing this summer and is best known for his range of passing and set piece deliveries.
Oli Hawkins is an extremely versatile player who is capable of operating both up front or at the heart of defence due to his size and physicality.
The utility man signed for the Stags in June 2021 from Ipswich Town for an undisclosed fee and previously turned out for the likes of Portsmouth, Dagenham & Redbridge and Northwood – winning an EFL Trophy along the way.
Rhys Oates finished as the club’s top scorer last season with 11 goals across all competitions and is likely to pose one of the biggest threats on Tuesday evening.
The former Barnsley man hit the headlines whilst turning out for Hartlepool United as his 18 goals fired the Monkey Hangers back into the Football League, which led to a race for his signature amongst several sides as Mansfield eventually prevailed.
Did you know?
The club’s ground, Field Mill (currently known as the One Call Stadium), is the oldest professional football ground in the world and has been used for sport since 1861.