League One Preview: Rock-bottom Coventry host AFC Wimbledon, Bury visit MK Dons

Arguably, the pick of the midweek League One games this week sees AFC Wimbledon travel to the Ricoh Arena to take on rock-bottom Coventry City in a real relegation scrap tomorrow (Wednesday).

Twentieth-placed Wimbledon let their lead slip in last week’s relegation head-to-head against ten-man Shrewsbury Town. The fact that relegation six-pointers are coming thick and fast for the Dons is both worrying and telling.

The Sky Blues, on the other hand, have long since been marooned at the foot of the table and even a win tomorrow wouldn’t see them escape the relegation zone.

The form side in the division right now are unheralded Bury. Tom Pope claimed a late winner to see off Chesterfield 2-1 last week and they now sit second in the table.

Saddlers shot-stopper, Etheridge – Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

The Shakers will visit Milton Keynes Dons tonight hoping a victory could be enough to take them to the summit – however that will depend on whether leaders Scunthorpe United can see off Walsall, down in the Black Country.

The Saddlers came inches away from their first away win of the League One campaign after Scott Laird hit the woodwork with the clock running down at Peterborough United, but in truth, Walsall’s goalkeeper Neil Etheridge had been in fine form earlier in the game and a draw was probably a fair result.

Walsall are one of the most improving sides, as the new players finally seem to have clicked into a well-oiled machine – it’s not the game that Scunthorpe would have been hoping for a few weeks ago. Having said that, the Dons of MK are unlikely to be a pushover given they turn up to the Stadium MK on the back of a 4-1 win at Fleetwood Town.

Fleetwood weren’t the only side shipping goals though, Northampton Town fired four past a hapless Southend United side – a result which sees the Cobblers up into the play-off territory, and the Shrimpers deep in the relegation quagmire with only the aforementioned Coventry propping them and the rest of the division up.

Fleetwood will look to steady the ship away to Bradford City at Valley Parade, who secured an impressive goalless stalemate away at Bolton Wanderers, a result which sees the teams sit together at the head of the chasing play-off pack in third and fourth place.

Bolton will be looking to add to Rochdale’s early season woes with an improved display tonight.

Full League One midweek fixture list (Tuesday):

Bradford City vs Fleetwood Town

Charlton vs Oldham

Chesterfield vs Gillingham

MK Dons vs Bury

Port Vale vs Millwall

Rochdale vs Bolton

Sheffield United vs Bristol Rovers

Shrewsbury vs Peterborough

Southend vs Oxford United

Swindon vs Northampton

Walsall vs Scunthorpe

Coventry vs AFC Wimbledon (Wednesday)