PREVIEW Oxford United v AFC Wimbledon

A full guide to Saturday's big game

12 April 2019

Oxford United welcome AFC Wimbledon to the Kassam Stadium on Saturday.

TEAM NEWS
United are without the suspended Ahmed Kashi and Marcus Browne after their red cards at Walsall last weekend. Browne was shown a straight red card and will miss three games while Kashi received a second yellow and must sit out just one match.

John Mousinho is the logical replacement for Kashi in the holding midfield role while United have exciting options in the forward line with Jordan Graham and Gavin Whyte challenging for a start.

Karl Robinson hinted in iFollow that he may resist the chance to promote from the under 18s despite United being on 52 points now, with the youth team playing a big game of their own on Saturday morning at home to Yeovil as they chase an unprecedented second league title in one season! That could mean a place for Bermudan international Jonte Smith on the bench.

See Karl Robinson previewing the game in iFollow right now plus former Wimbledon forward Jamie Mackie in an action packed Preview Show.

The Opposition

Manager Wally Downes has seen his team take 20 points from their last 10 League One matches – with only Luton, Charlton and Sunderland (all 22) claiming more.

Downes was shortlisted for March’s Manager of the Month award, as was Karl Robinson, and said. “We had four clean sheets, four wins and a draw – it’s a reflection of how everyone has pulled together. We’ve done a lot of hard work in the last few months and it has paid off – let’s hope it pays off this month as well.

“Everyone at the club has stepped up – from the office right through to the kitmen or people in the bars who are all volunteers. It’s been like a promotion push and we’re still on track to achieve what we want to do.”

Wimbledon's injury problems are also easing: Michael Folivi, Andy Barcham, Deji Oshilaja, Mitch Pinnock, Kwesi Appiah and Shane McLoughlin all featured in a behind closed doors friendly against Cambridge United this week.

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Match Day
The RES gate behind the North Stand will be in operation for this game meaning fans cannot move from one end of the ground to the other behind that stand after the game. See the Match Pack block above for the best ways to make the most out of your day, including travel details and an away fans guide.

Tickets
This game is not all ticket and you can book your place online from oufctickets.co.uk or by calling 01865 337533 - the ticket office opens at midday on matchday for personal callers

Family
Oxford United pride ourselves on providing a great atmosphere for families to enjoy. We have a full Family Guide to games available here: OUFC Family Guide

Guest of Honour/Half Time Draw
We are delighted to have Manor hero Ken Skeen as our guest tomorrow; the former U's forward will be talking to guests before the game and we are sure you will welcome him home when he helps with the half time 50/Fifty draw. Tickets for the draw are available all around the ground.

We are also pleased to have Oxford City Stars captain Darren Elliott with us. Darren is retiring at the end of the season after 29 years playing ice hockey – 27 at Oxford.

Youth Team
Good luck to our under 18s who are at home to Yeovil Town on Saturday morning in the EFL Youth Alliance Merit League 1. Kick off is at 11.30am and admission is free at Northcourt Road, Abingdon.

Coverage

iFollow is available with the full game LIVE to hear in the UK and see overseas.There will be reaction from the key men after the game, and you can follow all the action on Twitter at @OUFCOfficial and on this site with a match report right on the final whistle.

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Match Reports

REPORT Oxford United 0 AFC Wimbledon 0

U's draw with the Dons. Full time report.

13 April 2019

Oxford United's unbeaten run was extended to six games with a 0-0 draw with Wimbledon this afternoon. Visiting keeper Aaron Ramsdale made a string of fine saves to keep the Dons fighting at the foot of the table as United edged ever further away from trouble on 53 points.

Wimbledon, with all to play for, pushed United back in the first few minutes and James Hanson headed a good chance over the bar with their first opportunity - their best of the afternoon as it turned out - but in doing so they were also committing men forward and gradually United began to take control.

Both Josh Ruffels and Luke Garbutt sent headers close and Mark Sykes dribbled through before sending a rising effort off target after 17 minutes as the game began to be played increasingly in the Wimbledon half.

With United zipping the ball around in the sunshine and Wimbledon struggling to break out, United had three outstanding chances to take the lead before the break. Sykes showed plenty of flashes of skill and Whyte was always the most likely danger; his run after 35 minutes should have led to the opener but Garbutt’s powerfully struck effort from ten yards out was somehow pushed away by an extraordinary save from the flying Ramsdale.

Jerome Sinclair then just overran a clever through pass from the always-involved Cameron Brannagan, who came as close as anyone when he cracked in a shot after 40 minutes that rolled wide off the base of the right-hand post.

The second half continued in much the same vein, with Sinclair just unable to adjust his feet to connect with a Garbutt cross and then Ramsdale again rescuing his side with a second good save, this time from Brannagan as United poured men forward. Sandwiched between those two chances was a good looking but off-target drive from Hanson, with Simon Eastwood untroubled by a single effort on target in the entire 90 minutes.

United, on the other hand, were always on the prowl and much the more likely team to find a breakthrough. Sinclair flicked a header just over from a Whyte cross and Nelson joined the attack to head similarly too high after the bandaged Sam Long had outmuscled a defender to deliver the cross.

Dickie had also gone close with a 25-yard effort and United's strength in depth was shown when subs James Henry, Jordan Graham and Jamie Mackie came on for the last 20 minutes; not a bad trio to be bringing on to find a goal, plus TWO headbands on the pitch at the same time. Excellent.

Mackie immediately forced the over-worked Ramsdale into another good save; the on-loan Bournemouth keeper kept his side in the game single-handedly at times as they dropped deeper and deeper to hold on to their point. There was a goalbound Mackie effort that hit the back of a retreating defender and sparked an almighty scramble before the ball was hacked clear.

Sykes missed his kick in front of goal, Whyte blazed wide with two minutes left and United had done everything right bar scoring a goal, despite six minutes of Ruffs Time being added on. No late drama, just good honest football between two hard-working teams who will, in the cold light of day, probably be happy enough with a point.

Att: 7,678

Away: 1,301

Report by Chris Williams, pictures by Steve Daniels, stats by OPTA

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