Preview: Crawley Town

All you need to know ahead of tonight's Sky Bet League Two fixture at Broadfield Stadium...

15 August 2023

MK Dons travel to Crawley Town this evening as they go in search of a third successive league victory to start the 2023/24 season.

Graham Alexander’s men made it two wins from two on Saturday with a 1-0 triumph over Tranmere Rovers at Stadium MK, following up on their 5-3 opening-day success away at Wrexham.

The Dons’ start to the season has them top of the Sky Bet League Two after the first fortnight and is the Club’s best since 2018 in terms of points gained and goals scored after two games.

Alexander and his team could set a new Club record for points and goals with a third straight victory in Sussex this evening – they would need to score twice to reach an unprecedented eight goals from their first three games while nine points would top their previous best of seven.

Kick-off is at 7.45pm.

THE OPPOSITION
Crawley Town have made a strong start to the 2023/24 season themselves, with four points from their opening two matches.

The Red Devils were victorious on opening day, beating Bradford City 1-0 at Broadfield Stadium before earning a point from their trip to Salford City last weekend.

Scott Lindsey’s team have conceded just once in their first two affairs while, going forwards, they are tied for third amongst Sky Bet League Two teams with 17.5 shots per game. They also boast the third-best passing accuracy (80.6%).

Will Wright is the only Crawley player with a goal to his name this league campaign – their goal in the 1-1 draw with Salford City was scored by way of an own goal. Wright is one of 11 new additions to the squad this summer.

LAST TIME OUT
MK Dons made it back-to-back league victories to start the new season with a 1-0 success over Tranmere Rovers at Stadium MK.

Mo Eisa scored the decisive goal after just seven minutes, glancing home a header from Alex Gilbey’s in-swinging free-kick.

Tranmere did have the better of the second half but Graham Alexander’s stood firm and held on for their first clean sheet and their maiden home win of the 2023/24 campaign.

Crawley Town were held to a 1-1 draw by Salford City as they made it four points from a possible six to start the new term.

An own goal from Luke Garbutt saw the Red Devils go in front five minutes before half-time. Dion Corey did well to meet Will Wright’s free-kick before the ball, inadvertently, made its way into the net off Garbutt.

Wiright and Jay Williams both had chances to double Crawley’s lead and those missed opportunities proved costly when Conor McAleny struck on 47 minutes to level the scores and earn a point for his side.

FIGHTING TALK
Graham Alexander: “I've known Scott (Lindsey) since my youth-team days at Scunthorpe. Our careers went different ways but we've always kept in touch. His journey to where he is now is amazing, what he's had to overcome on and off the field.

“If there's one thing we know about each other, though, is that we want to beat each other. He's done a really good job at Crawley - he took over in a really difficult circumstance, kept them up, and they've started this season really well with good results in the league.

“I know what his ambitions are for the season, and we know it will be a really tough game for us. We have to be our best at Crawley.”

Scott Lindsey: “Tonight will be another tough game against a stiff opposition. MK Dons are top of the league after two great performances in their opening two games against good opposition. They have a very good manager, who I know very well. We are very good friends as we played together in the same youth team, so we do go back a while. He actually wore my boots in his league debut, and we have kept in touch over the years.

“I am hoping that we will continue our good start as we look to get back to winning ways. We need to play well, as we have done in large parts of the opening two matches, and make sure that we take our chances in front of goal. We all know that the Broadfield Stadium can be a fortress, and we are hoping that the fans can help push us on to victory later today."

TEAM NEWS
MK Dons don’t appear to have any fresh injury concerns after Saturday’s win at Stadium MK, leaving the possibility for Graham Alexander to name an unchanged starting XI for the third game in succession.

Matthew Dennis, Dean Lewington and Charlie Waller are the only three injury problems while Conor Grant has also yet to appear since suffering an injury in pre-season.

Crawley Town could also name an unchanged line-up for the third game in a row, having started the same 11 players in both of their opening matches.

Amongst those 11 are five summer signings - Danilo Orsi, Liam Kelly, Jay Williams, Ronan Darcy and Will Wright – as well as last season’s top scorer, Dom Telford.

FACING THEIR FORMER CLUB
Ben Gladwin has yet to appear for Crawley Town this season but the former MK Dons attacking midfielder has been on the books at Broadfield Stadium since January.

OFFICIALS
Daniel Middleton has been appointed tonight’s referee, taking charge of MK Dons for the very first time.

Middleton, who made his EFL debut last season, has overseen two matches so far this season and produced a total of six yellow cards. He has also awarded two penalties – both in the same game.

His assistant referees are Stephen Finch and Mark Derrien while the fourth official is Shaun Farrer.

HEAD TO HEAD
MK Dons wins: 4
MK Dons wins at Broadfield Stadium: 2
Last MK Dons win: 1-0, 2 Mar 2019 (Stadium MK)
Biggest MK Dons win: 4-0, 3 Nov 2018 (Broadfield Stadium)

Draws: 2
Draws at Broadfield Stadium: 1
Last draw: 2-2, 10 Jan 2015 (Broadfield Stadium)

Crawley Town wins: 2
Crawley Town wins at Broadfield Stadium: 1
Last Crawley Town win: 2-0, 12 Apr 2014 (Stadium MK)
Biggest Crawley Town win: 2-0, 23 Oct 2012 (Broadfield Stadium); 2-0, 12 Apr 2014 (Stadium MK)

ELSEWHERE IN SKY BET LEAGUE TWO
Accrington Stanley v Barrow
Colchester United v AFC Wimbledon
Crewe Alexandra v Newport County
Doncaster Rovers v Mansfield Town
Forest Green Rovers v Swindon Town
Grimsby Town v Salford City
Morecambe v Notts County
Stockport County v Bradford City
Sutton United v Gillingham
Tranmere Rovers v Harrogate Town
Wrexham v Walsall

FOLLOW IT LIVE
Tickets for tonight's clash with Crawley Town can be bought at Broadfield Stadium ahead of kick-off from either the Ticket Office or the Ticket Cabin, priced from £15 adults, £10 concessions, £5 young adults, £4 young persons while under-14s go FREE.

Can't make the game? Watch LIVE on iFollow MK Dons with a Video Match Pass - CLICK HERE to purchase your Video Match Pass for £10!

Live text updates will also be provided on the Match Centre as well as Twitter, while a full report will be available to read shortly after the full-time whistle. Post-match reaction and highlights will follow after.

Match Reports

Report: Crawley Town 2-1 MK Dons

Defeat for MK Dons at the Broadfield Stadium...

15 August 2023

MK Dons fell to their first league defeat of the season, losing 2-1 to Crawley Town at the Broadfield Stadium.

Mo Eisa scored his third goal in as many games to cancel out Nick Tsaroulla's opener but Danilo Orsi found the net in the second half to earn his side the points, and inflict a first Sky Bet League Two defeat on Graham Alexander's Dons.

Alexander named unchanged side for the third successive game, while the Head Coach also named the same substitutes bench from Saturday's win at Stadium MK.

It took time for the game to get going. After five minutes, MK Dons were able to work the ball down the left for Daniel Harvie but he had little in the way of support inside the penalty area and his cross wasn’t met by a teammate.

The Dons did get into the box two minutes later with Jonathan Leko, who latched onto Harvie’s clipped pass. He cut inside and shot, right-footed, but his effort was deflected wide via a block from Dion Conroy.

Crawley threatened for the first time with 10 minutes played – Ronan Darcy blasting over from the edge of the area after Harvie had got himself in the way of Kellan Gordon’s initial effort. Soon after that, Craig MacGillivray was called into action to tip Liam Kelly’s 20-yard strike over his crossbar.

The hosts continued their strong spell and took the lead with a quarter of an hour played through TSAROULLA, who latched onto a ball down the left channel and found a way past MacGillivray from a tight angle. 1-0.

Crawley, buoyed by their goal, pushed forward again on 20 minutes and saw Darcy have a low drive blocked by the feet of Tommy Smith.

The Dons’ first real response to the opening goal came five minutes after that but Mo Eisa was adjudged offside after being found inside the area by Leko. Eisa wasn’t offside, though, as MK Dons drew level a minute later.

To start, Eisa and Leko combined to force Crawley into a loose pass out from the back. MJ Williams made the interception and immediately played in EISA, who opted not to tee up his strike partner Leko and, instead, go it alone, managing to squirm his shot under Corey Addai for his third goal in as many games. 1-1.

MacGillivray made a vital save just before the half-hour to prevent Crawley restoring their lead within minutes – the MK Dons goalkeeper flashing across his goalline to keep a scrambled effort out with his feet. At the other end, Gilbey forced Addai into a save with a fierce 20-yard drive.

There was an opening for Eisa to double his tally with seven minutes remaining in the first half but this effort, from outside the area, flew over Addai’s crossbar. Leko tried his luck, too, from similar range – his strike was also high of the target.

Crawley started the second half in positive fashion and produced a save out of MacGillivray within six minutes of the re-start – the Dons goalkeeper equal to Liam Kelly’s low drive towards the bottom right corner.

The hosts were rewarded for their start on 52 minutes, re-taking the lead through ORSI, who finished off a well-worked passing move with a curling finish past MacGillivray. 2-1.

Leko almost provided an instant response for the Dons but, after latching onto a long pass and twisting and turning inside the area, he shot over from a tight angle. Gilbey then fired just wide from right of the D, after being teed up by Eisa.

Alexander made his first change with an hour on the clock, adding Ashley Hunter to his attack in place of Tucker. Hunter was amongst the Dons players in the box awaiting Gilbey’s cross, after the MK Dons captain had raced to the byline – the ball in, however, was intercepted.

Crawley went close to a third when Jay Williams headed against the crossbar from Will Wright’s free-kick on 65 minutes. Not long after that, Alexander made his second substitution – a change in midfield with Dawson Devoy on for Robson.

Devoy was involved right away, spotting the untracked run of Gilbey and playing through a pass which was just out of his midfield partner’s reach. Crawley then threatened again with Campbell a yard away from finding the net, 20 yards out.

The Dons had successive corners as the clock ticked past the 80-minute mark. From the second, O’Hora flicked Hunter’s ball on to Harvie, whose left-footed strike was blocked by a Crawley defender.

With six minutes to play, Klaidi Lolos dragged a shot wide for the hosts. Nathan Holland then entered the fray as the Dons’ final roll of the die – he came on for Williams with a little under five minutes remaining in the 90.

In the final minute of the 90, MacGillivray came up with a vital diving save to keep Orsi’s effort out and ensure the deficit remained at just one for the seven minutes of stoppage time that followed.

The Dons had most of the ball in those seven stoppage time minutes but weren’t able to create an opportunity to level the scores. In fact, it was Crawley who had the best opportunity to score, hitting Alexander’s men on the counter only for Adam Campbell to fire into the side netting.

There was drama in the dying seconds when Hunter went down under a challenge inside the penalty area but referee Daniel Middleton was quick to wave away appeals for a late spot-kick. He blew the whistle soon after that, confirming the Dons’ first league defeat of the season.

MK Dons: MacGillivray, Norman, Tucker (Hunter 61), O’Hora, Williams (Holland 86), Leko, Gilbey, Eisa, Smith, Robson (Devoy 69), Harvie.

Subs: Harness, Dean, Ilunga, Scholtz.

Goal: Eisa (27)

Booked: Robson, Hunter

Crawley Town: Addai, Gordon (Campbell 49), Conroy, Kelly, Ransom, Orsi, Darcy (Khaleel 84), Telford (Lolos 64), Tsaroulla, Williams, Wright.

Subs: Ashby-Hammond, Henry, Mukena, Swyer, Khaleel.

Goals: Tsaroulla (15), Orsi (53)

Booked: Williams

Referee: D Middleton

Attendance: 3,282 (505 away)

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Standings

Preview: Crawley Town

Gilbey: A big honour for me

Alexander: Make sure it's nothing more than a bump in the road

Gallery: Crawley Town

Extended highlights: Crawley Town

Report: Crawley Town 2-1 MK Dons

Gilbey: A big honour for me

Alexander: Make sure it's nothing more than a bump in the road

Gallery: Crawley Town

Extended highlights: Crawley Town

Crawley Town vs MK Dons - Replay - Tue 15th August 2023

Crawley Town vs MK Dons - Highlights - Tue 15th August 2023

Crawley Town vs MK Dons - Extended highlights - Tue 15th August 2023

Standings

Fixture News

Gilbey: A big honour for me

Alexander: Make sure it's nothing more than a bump in the road

Gallery: Crawley Town

Extended highlights: Crawley Town

Fixture News

Gilbey: A big honour for me

Alexander: Make sure it's nothing more than a bump in the road

Gallery: Crawley Town

Extended highlights: Crawley Town

Crawley Town vs MK Dons - Replay - Tue 15th August 2023

Crawley Town vs MK Dons - Highlights - Tue 15th August 2023

Crawley Town vs MK Dons - Extended highlights - Tue 15th August 2023