Rovers face a second home game in just five days as they take on AFC Wimbledon this weekend at the Eco-Power Stadium.
Danny Schofield’s side are looking to return to winning ways having not picked up maximum points in Sky Bet League Two since beating Barrow on February 14.
Wimbledon currently sit in 15th place and are five points behind Rovers in the table, with both teams competing in the same league as each other for a sixth consecutive campaign.
The last meeting
Rovers played out a 2-2 draw against the Wombles back in August as, what was then, Gary McSheffrey’s side salvaged a late point at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.
Brentford loanee Nathan Young-Coombes scored twice in eight minutes during the second-half and Rovers looked to be on their way to a first defeat of the 2022/23 season.
However, after a late win against Sutton United the week before, the visitors brought the late drama again as Tommy Rowe fired in a fine shot from range and Ro-Shaun Williams turned in his first goal wearing the red and white in the 94th minute.
Birmingham City loanee Josh Andrews then had a chance to win the game but he dragged his shot wide and Rovers had to settle for a well earned point.
Wimbledon’s recent form
Johnnie Jackson’s side travel north off the back of a run that hasn’t seen them win since January 28 when Harry Pell scored the match deciding goal in a 1-0 victory over Stockport County.
They failed to make it back-to-back wins when losing 1-0 at league leaders Leyton Orient before following that result up with goalless draws against promotion chasing Carlisle United and Northampton Town.
Returning to home soil, the Dons went two goals to the good through Ali Al-Hamadi and Diallang Jaiyesimi against Hartlepool United, only to throw their lead away late on to draw 2-2.
Al-Hamadi then scored again in a 2-1 loss at Gillingham, twice in a 3-2 loss against Steve Evans’ Stevenage and most recently scored the Londoners’ only goal in a 3-1 defeat to Mansfield Town.
Key men
Striker Ali Al-Hamadi will take to the field full of confidence having scored five goals since his January arrival in SW17 and all five have come in the Dons’ last four outings.
The Iraq international arrived in Liverpool, via Jordan as a youngster and then impressed as a schoolboy to start his youth career with Tranmere Rovers in 2015.
After a spell on Birkenhead, the forward made a step up in category in 2018 to start a two-year scholarship with Swansea City before signing his first professional contract in South Wales.
In 2021, he signed a deal with Wycombe Wanderers and played 10 times, as well as another 10 on loan at Bromley, prior to joining Johnnie Jackson’s side on January 12 and has made an impressive start back in the football league.
South African Ethan Chislett currently leads the way in the Dons’ goalscoring charts with nine so far and has coupled that with an assist to take his goal contributions this season into double figures.
The 5ft10 midfielder had a spell with Premier League club Southampton during his younger days but has plyed the majority of his trade in the English non-league system, spending two spells with Metropolitan Police and a season each with Basingstoke Town and Aldershot Town, before joining Wimbledon in 2020 after a year in Spain.
He spent two years with the club in Sky Bet League One and remained with the club following relegation last term to make 41 appearances this time around.
Another player to make double figures for goal contributions this campaign is forward Josh Davison who has combined nine goals and five assists to total 14 in 42 games.
The striker began his career with Peterborough United but, having never made a senior appearance for the Posh, made a permanent switch to Enfield Town where he enjoyed a prolific 2019, scoring 16 times in 21 games.
During the very next campaign, Davison signed for Charlton Athletic but only made 24 appearances in three years, spending spells out on loan with Woking, Forest Green Rovers and Swindon Town.
In July 2022, the 23-year-old linked up once again with Jackson at Wimbledon and has played an integral part in their Sky Bet League Two campaign, being involved in more than a quarter of the Dons’ 51 goals this season.