AFC Wimbledon head to Wycombe Wanderers this afternoon for what boss Neal Ardley has declared a “massive” FA Cup clash.

While not denying the difficulty of the task in hand – Wanderers are top of League Two – Ardley cannot help but contemplate the positive effect of a win.

Dons are struggling to maintain any consistency of form, with four doses of back-to-back wins punctuated by a string lacklustre defeats and draws.

But all that could change with a place in the hat for the third round come Sunday evening.

Ardley said: “It’s a massive game for us.

“We know we’re inconsistent and we’re trying our hardest in training to address that.

“We can play well for a spell of five games and then have another game where you dip.”

He added: “If we can get to round three, get ourselves in that hat, get a good draw, something the club would love, it would give everything a lift and it might kick our league form into some form of consistency.

“The FA Cup is vital – the feel-good factor we can get could be huge.”

More Dons stories:

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Wanderers beat Dons 2-0 at Adams Park in a one-sided League Two affair in October, leading Ardley to admit his side were poor.

This time round, Ardley is not expecting anything different from their hosts.

“I don’t think it will be a pretty game, but it will be an intense game,” he said.

“It’s not going to be easy, they play at a super-high tempo, they don’t let you settle on the ball, they are in your face and they play a high line.

“They play for areas on the pitch, and then they fill those areas very quickly.

“You might win the first header, but then they will have four players around the second header.

“If you do get possession, you’ll have four players pressing you.

“We’re not going to have time to pass the ball, to get on it and move it around the pitch.”

For more match day news live from Wycombe, follow @ylgsport.