Neal Ardley has strong Wimbledon squad to take on Rochdale

Posted Friday, September 29, 2017 by PA

AFC Wimbledon boss Neal Ardley has no new selection worries as he prepares to welcome Rochdale to Kingsmeadow.

Ghana striker Kwesi Appiah will sit out the second successive Dons game with a hamstring problem which is expected to keep him sidelined for at least four weeks.

Welsh defender Jonathan Meades, who is yet to feature this season, has returned to training but remains unavailable for selection.

Harry Forrester is pushing for his first league start of the campaign, while fellow midfielder Nadjim Abdou and defender Darius Charles are among the players hoping for recalls.

Rochdale go into the contest looking to build on their encouraging recent form.

After failing to win any of their first six league outings of the season, they have claimed victory in two of their last four, and Tuesday's 0-0 draw at Blackpool was a third-successive clean sheet in all competitions.

With players returning from injury and illness over the last few games, manager Keith Hill feels Dale are "getting a very strong squad now" and is delighted to have increased competition for matchday selection.

Keith Keane is on the long-term injury list - Hill having confirmed last week that the midfielder required surgery.