AFC Wimbledon vs Walsall: Who can conquer Wembley and Seal Promotion to League One?

AFC Wimbledon and Walsall have had very different routes than this season’s League Two Play-off final.

Walsall was 12 points clear at the top of the table at the beginning of the year, but the most dramatic of fall mates saw them fight to even stay in the automatic promotion sites on the last day when they were pipped for promotion thanks to a dramatic winner for Bradford against Fleetwood.

Meanwhile for Dons, who scored the fewest of the seven top teams in the regular season, but also admitted the fewest, four points separated them from eighth placed Salford.

They have spent this season and the previous two in the fourth level, but it has been a longer wait for a return to League One for Walsall, which was released at the end of the 2018/19 campaign.

Johnnie Jackson has experienced promotion before; As a player with Notts County and Charlton and also as a coach at Addicks. To finish hat-trick and do it as a manager, he will have to overcome Mat Sadler’s side, which will be hell to make sure they go up, by hook or by crook.

Story of the tape – Key info on the way into the final

This is a meeting between the best attack in League to (Walsall, scored 75 goals) against the best defense (AFC Wimbledon, admitted to 35).
AFC Wimbledon has never failed to score in five EFL-play-off games. They have kept clean sheets in four of their five matches.
Walsall last won promotion via Play-offs in 2001 when they were promoted from the third level below Ray Graydon.
Wimbledon’s last visit to Wembley was a 3-0 FA Cup third-round defeat at Spurs in January 2018. Harry Kane (2) and Jan Vertonghen scored.
Walsall has only played at Wembley once before and lost 2-0 against Bristol City in the 2015 EFL Trophy final under Dean Smith.
The winners of the final are reported to take advantage of more than £ 2 million. In extra income from promotion.

Kick-off at. 15.01 … but why?

EFL PLAY-OFF FINALS looks a little different this year with all three matches now set to start a minute later than planned. The launch at last season’s play -offs has already surpassed the original goal of encouraging 270,000 people – three times the capacity at Wembley Stadium – to learn the CPR.
Now the campaign is aiming to move forward by encouraging 360,000 people to use the British Heart Foundation’s online Revivr tool and start learning the life-saving technique as the endgame final comes around.
To access BHF’s free, simple and user -friendly online tools, Revivr, Search ‘BHF Revivr’ or Visit Revivr.bhf.org.uk/FL

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How AFC Wimbledon reached the final

Johnnie Jackson: Opportunity to write chapter in our club’s rich story

AFC Wimbledon Manager Johnnie Jackson:

“I think it would probably be the best (promotion) of the party, to be honest. This is the reason why you get into it and why I would train and cope.

“I’ve had some successes with campaigns as a player and also as a coach, but getting the recognition that manager would probably top the party.

“They have no God given right, but these boys deserve the opportunity to be where they are for the hard work they have put in and the way they have bought in the club.

“As you know, it’s a club with rich history, especially around Wembley with the FA Cup final in 1988 and 2016 teams that were promoted.

“It is an opportunity for my boys now to write their own chapter.”

A tight game with limited chances?

Aaron McLean on Sky Sports Essential EFL Podcast:

“There won’t be a huge amount of options. And we have two truly talented, bright and young views in goal with Owen Goodman and Tommy Simkin.

“They are both on loans. Goodman is from Palace and Simkin from Stoke, and they want to show what good players they are. They want to make sure they can get a promotion on their resume in their young careers.”

How Walsall reached the final

Mat Sadler: We will finish the job

“Of course we are looking forward to it. Last Friday night was great, a great experience for everyone in the club.

“I thought we were playing very well and it was a really good team performance over the two legs. Now we’ll back up and finish the job.

“Everyone’s eyes are right on it. There was an incredible outflow of emotions, but immediately we are focused on it.

“It never changed [having a job to do] In my message after Friday. We enjoyed it and I really wanted them to.

“Pitch is a vulnerable place for great moments and games, but we had a day to enjoy it as a really densely composed group together. But we are ready to work.”

Can Adomah make the difference?

Albert Adomah is maybe 37, but he showed the bench in the second stage that he still has what it takes to make the difference, with his brilliant commo, who delivered two assists and a moment of skill that will live long in memory.

David Stowell on Sky Sports Essential EFL Podcast:

“You know with adomah, you will always get the working frequency.

“He will always show that desire and he has the ability to make something happen to come up with something spectacular about scoring a goal or putting chances on a plate for someone ahead.

“He may well at some point, whether it comes from the off or from the bench, give something that can be the difference.”

AFC Wimbledon vs Walsall: Who can conquer Wembley and Seal Promotion to League One? | Football News