Wimbledon

I watched them closely last season, urging them to stay out of the bottom four. There is something romantic about AFC Wimbledon, something that makes me want them to do well. I didn’t feel quite as benevolent during our 2017 FA Cup tie, but otherwise they’re a side I hope do well.

Last year they looked doomed, Neal Ardley ran out of ideas and was sacked, leaving the Wombles in a precarious position. Former Lincoln assistant and Crazy Gang member Wally Downes took over and handed them an identity, he made them a team in his image. They were direct at times, committed and able to spring a surprise. At one stage they were ten points adrift of safety, but by the final day only a round of freak results would see them relegated.

Joe Pigott is very much a key man for them, he’s a former Maidstone striker with a keen eye for goal. He took up the slack left by Lyle Taylor and had a big hand in helping them stay up. That’s not to say they were a one-man team, far from it, but even the most hard-working of units needs someone to finish things off.

They rode their luck at times, a 2-2 draw with Luton at the end of the season was testament to that, but the same spirit will see them do okay this season. Luke O’Neill and Callum Reilly have been cast aside by Gillingham, they’ve found a home at Kingsmeadow and will certainly add some experience to a relatively young squad. Will Nightingale penned a new deal too, he’s a homegrown defender that typifies that spirit.

Whenever we talk about Wimbledon, of old, new or during their rise from the ashes, we use words like ‘spirit’, ‘togetherness’, ‘fight’ and ‘unity’. Is that enough to secure League One football for another season?

It may just be.

Wycombe

It’s impossible not to feel a bit of an affinity towards Wycombe, purely because of Gareth Ainsworth. He’s a respected man wherever he has played and our meetings with his side are bound to be built up with memories of his goals and contribution in an Imps shirt.

That’s good, because if we focused on their team we’d be talking about the king shit houses of the Football League. Sorry Wycombe fans, that’s what you are.

Ainsworth peddles John Beck style tactics, he makes his side aggressive and in your face. When they visited the Bank in 2018 they were wasting time from the second minute; it’s effective and we can’t complain but they do make Tony Pulis look like Arsene Wenger.

Ask Sunderland fans what they think, having seen red cards and an injury to Duncan Watmore in an ill-tempered affair last season. I imagine the Wycombe mantra is something like ‘no one likes us, lets kick them anyway’, a brand of football contrasting sharply with their impressive ground tucked into the edge of the Chilterns.

They’ve made what I consider to be some decent signings though; Paul Smyth is a talented kid from QPR who impressed at Accrington last season. He’ll be used as foil for Akinfenwa, the best still very much a part of Ainsworth’s master plan. Jack Grimmer has gone there too, he’s a stylish full back oddly frozen out at Coventry City lasts season.

I’m also impressed to see David Wheeler there; he’ll play the same role Ainsworth played for us; dipping in from the flank and looking to add value with goals.

They won’t win any style awards, they’ll win even fewer friends but they will always be up for a fight and when you’re tipped for the drop, that’s a great quality to have.