MK Dons will begin their 2014/15 pre-season campaign this evening when they take on Irish side St. James’s Gate.
Karl Robinson’s men return to action against the Leinster Senior League outfit in the first of three friendly fixtures to be played in Ireland this week.
The Dons have been based near the Irish capital of Dublin since 4th July, spending their time completing three sessions a day during a pre-season fitness camp. Tonight’s match will be the first-game action the side has seen in over two months.
Dons boss Robinson is expected to hand game time to most, if not all, of his players this evening, including new signings Danny Green, Kyle McFadzean and Tom Hitchcock. Ben Reeves, however, is set to miss out as a precautionary measure after suffering stiffness in his hamstring last week.
Also set to play a part tonight are youngsters Kyran Wiltshire, Gedeon Okito, Ben Tilney and Kabongo Tshimanga, who all flew out to Ireland on Sunday following their involvement in the MK Dons XI friendly with Buckingham Athletic. Striker Tshimanga, a second-year scholar this season, scored a hat-trick in that game to help Mike Dove’s side earn a 4-3 victory.
Speaking to mkdons.com, Robinson said: “With three games in three days, the results are the least important thing on my mind. It’s all about seeing the players through these vital minutes, without injury.
“We’ll have some new faces playing and plenty of young players and so it will be interesting to see how quickly they settle in with the season not too far away. I’m looking forward to it.”
Subject to reception, the Club will be providing updates via Twitter throughout the evening, while a full match report and reaction will be available to view on mkdons.com later tonight.
