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MK Dons home preview

Postby Sweden Stag » Fri Oct 26, 2018 6:39 am

After three away games on trot, gaining two draws and, last Tuesday, a 1-0 victory at Morecambe, the Stags are at headquarters again. This time, it will be the first home fixture against Milton Keynes Dons for eleven years.

Last time out, it was the case of then the worst-ever refereeing display seen at Field Mill, as the decisions more than heavily affected the outcome of the game, which eventually was won by MK to a 2-1 scoreline, one out of eighteen Stags odd-goal defeats that disastrous 2007-08 campaign. That ref in question was later to have a few more stinkers in Stags games (i.e. against York in March 2014), but to be fair, has in more recent history fared a whole lot better, i.e. in our home fixture against Carlisle earlier this season.

And the away game then on New Year’s Day 2008 was also lost by the odd goal, a solitary goal being a free-kick which never was.

In the end, MK Dons became League Two champions in a season which saw eight sides win ten away games or more, and nine lose ten home fixtures or more. But the Stags were not the side then which lost most games at home. 14 home losses then were topped by Accrington’s fifteen reverses on home soil.

After winning the League Two title, MK Dons spent a decade above the basement, and even one campaign in the Championship a few seasons ago. That came about after the 2014-15 season, a campaign in which MK Dons scored goals right, left and centre and ended up their League One campaign with 101 goals scored, 60 at home. But their solitary Championship campaign in 2015-16 turned sour, netting just 39 times and losing thirteen home fixtures, eventually finishing bottom but one after failing to win any of their last eleven home fixtures.

After relegation from the Championship, MK Dons finished mid-table in League One the following season. But their trend was downhill, which was proved by relegation from League One last term after scoring just 43 goals.

This season has seen quite a lot of MK Dons low-scoring games, among them six draws. But MK Dons have won their last five League Two fixtures and will prove a very good test for the Stags on Saturday.

During the 2006-07 season, the Stags were unbeaten against MK Dons. This was fixed thanks to a Nathan Arnold injury-time screamer to 1-1, thus gaining the Stags a deserved point. That fixture was also the first in a five-game unbeaten run which in the end proved crucial in preserving the Stags' league status (without the 10-point deduction inflicted on Boston on the final day of the 2006-07). And without Arnold's strike, MK Dons had been auto promoted on Swindon's expense.

That game at Field Mill was MK Dons' first-ever basement one under that name. And it also ended in MK Dons' first-ever League Two defeat that season as the Stags turned an early 0-1-deficit into a 2-1 victory, all goals coming in the first half. For more details, see the Stagsnet report.

Three of the Stags players who starred against MK Dons in August 2006 are still around and have all featured this season. Here they are: Alex John-Baptiste for QPR, Stephen Dawson for Bury (but not against the Stags recently) and Johnny Mullins for Cheltenham, while Richie Barker, scorer of the equalizer, was MK Dons manager for a short while in late 2016. And at least one MK Dons player then is still around. The name: Dean Lewington, who has played in every MK Dons FL season under that name, almost 600 league fixtures as well as had played 29 league games for Wimbledon earlier. That is comparable to Matt Bloomfield at Wycombe, Barry Roche and Kevin Ellison, both at Morecambe. Lewington, ever-present so far this term, has served under every MK Dons manager, currently Paul Tisdale, who for the first time will visit One Call Stadium while not being boss for Exeter.

Played for both sides: Craig Dobson, Oscar Gobern, Richard Pacquette, Lewis Price, Craig Westcarr,

Previous league fixtures as MK Dons:

Home: P 2, W 1, D 0, L 1, GF 3, GA 3
Away: P 2, W 0, D 1, L 1, GF 1, GA 2

2006-07 2-1 2006-08-08 1-1 2007-02-20 League Two
2007-08 1-2 2007-10-02 0-1 2018-01-01 League Two

NOTE: If anyone wants details on Stags games against MK Dons before reverting to that name in 2004, just let me know.
Stockholm, July 4, 2008, 15.00 GMT. Good news came, K.H. gone. March 1, 2012. Ground purchased.
Sweden Stag
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Re: MK Dons home preview

Postby wayno cordiniho » Sat Oct 27, 2018 7:25 am

Sweden Stag wrote:
NOTE: If anyone wants details on Stags games against MK Dons before reverting to that name in 2004, just let me know.


Before they stole another clubs identity and league place... no thanks. Hope we stuff em and their plastic fans
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