Wimbledon told to "relish" Walsall promotion challenge
Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson has told his players to "relish" the challenge when they face League Two leaders Walsall at Bescot tomorrow.
The Wombles start in the weekend nestled in the final automatic promotion spot and trail Walsall by six points.
They missed out on the chance to register back-to-back wins in their last outing after blowing a 2-0 lead to draw against Barrow at Plough Lane.
In total, Wimbledon have collected just two wins from their last eight games in League Two, but boast the meanest defensive record in the division, conceding just 28 goals in 38 games.
Jackson insists Wimbledon must "park" the disappointment of drawing against Barrow and focus on the task at hand ahead of a huge opportunity to close the gap at the summit.
"What a game to look forward to, to absolutely relish," the Wimbledon boss declared.
"Hard, tough game, but brilliant though. Top of the league is the team that we're all aiming for and an opportunity to try and reel them in.
"We have to park the disappointment [of the 2-2 draw against Barrow] and we have to prepare and be ready for what will be a mouth-watering game.
"It's going to be tough, we know that, but we're playing really well. We have to be ready for next Saturday which is a great game."
Omar Bugiel will be available again after missing last weekend due to international commitments with Lebanon.
The Berlin-born frontman scored a hat-trick in the Wombles' 5-1 rout over Walsall on the final day of last season at Plough Lane but has not found the net since late-November - a run spanning 17 games.
Matty Stevens will be the biggest attacking threat, with the former Saddlers loanee tied with Michael Cheek and Alassana Jatta on 17 goals at the top of the goal scoring charts in League Two.
