MK Dons will look to bounce back from their midweek disappointment when they face Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena today.
The men from MK1 looked on course to secure a first home success of the season against Chesterfield on Tuesday evening but two goals in four minutes from the visitors denied them a victory and also put an end to their unbeaten run.
Still under the stewardship of caretaker boss Richie Barker, the team will hope to pick themselves up in time for the trip to West Midlands, with the clash another opportunity to climb out of the relegation zone.
Kick-off at the Ricoh Arena is at 3pm.
Coventry sit one place above the Dons in the Sky Bet League One table, having lost their three matches.
City had enjoyed a strong run of three wins in four before their recent run of defeats which has seen them score just once and concede six times.
In fact, goals have been hard to come by all season for the manager-less Sky Blues, whose total of 16 scored is the second fewest in the division.
They do, however, boast one of the better defences in Sky Bet League One, in particular at the Ricoh Arena where they have only conceded five times in nine games – tied for the best home record in entire EFL.
The Dons were not able to claim a first home league win of the season after coming out on the losing side of a five-goal thriller at Stadium MK.
Opponents Chesterfield opened the scoring from the penalty spot late in the first-half, however the Dons restored parity through Daniel Powell’s goal after the break.
Substitute Ryan Colclough then put the men from MK1 ahead with a deflected effort but just as it appeared as though they would secure that long-awaited home success, the Spireites struck twice in four minutes to claim all three points and deny the Dons once again.
Still under the stewardship of caretaker boss Richie Barker, the team will hope to pick themselves up in time for the trip to West Midlands, with the clash another opportunity to climb out of the relegation zone.
Kick-off at the Ricoh Arena is at 3pm.
Coventry sit one place above the Dons in the Sky Bet League One table, having lost their three matches.
City had enjoyed a strong run of three wins in four before their recent run of defeats which has seen them score just once and concede six times.
In fact, goals have been hard to come by all season for the manager-less Sky Blues, whose total of 16 scored is the second fewest in the division.
They do, however, boast one of the better defences in Sky Bet League One, in particular at the Ricoh Arena where they have only conceded five times in nine games – tied for the best home record in entire EFL.
The Dons were not able to claim a first home league win of the season after coming out on the losing side of a five-goal thriller at Stadium MK.
Opponents Chesterfield opened the scoring from the penalty spot late in the first-half, however the Dons restored parity through Daniel Powell’s goal after the break.
Substitute Ryan Colclough then put the men from MK1 ahead with a deflected effort but just as it appeared as though they would secure that long-awaited home success, the Spireites struck twice in four minutes to claim all three points and deny the Dons once again.
In the second half, it was the turn of Bolton stopper Ben Alnwick to impress, saving superbly from Lewis Page, Jodi Jones and Ruben Lameiras to ensure the points remained in Greater Manchester.
The young Bolton Wanderers midfielder lobbed Lee Burge to give his side a perfect start before seeing teammates Gary Madine and Josh Vela all denied by the Sky Blues keeper later in the first half.
Zac Clough’s 11th minute finish prevented Coventry ending a run of defeats at the Macron Stadium.
Richie Barker: “If you were to take away the first half a dozen games then they wouldn’t be where they are now. The league table is form over a course of a season and it doesn’t necessarily tell you the story of recent games.
Mark Venus: “I am expecting MK Dons to be a footballing side, rather than a physical side. They will want to get the ball down and play football, and that may suit us – at least I hope it does!”
“These were the games that are important and we need to come away with something.”
“They are a team that if they move the ball about quickly, they can be difficult to play against. They are a very young side so they’ve got loads of athleticism and enthusiasm. We’re going to have to match that.
Last Dons win: 2-1, 5th April 2014 (Sixfields)
Dons wins at the Ricoh Arena: 0
Dons wins: 1
Right-back Jamie Sterry is also banned for the Sky Blues but, who do hope to have midfielder Andy Rose back along with striker Marcus Tudgay.
Coventry, meanwhile, will be without top goalscorer Marvin Sordell, who serves a one-match suspension this afternoon.
Maynard (hamstring) and Scott Wootton (knee) are the only two players unavailable for the trip to the Ricoh Arena after both Darren Potter (leg) and Chuks Aneke (knee) made returns to the squad against Chesterfield – the latter after almost a year out.
The Dons remain without striker Nicky Maynard but there are no fresh injury concerns for Richie Barker ahead of today's game.
“That has to be an advantage and we have to make it count whenever we play at home. As we’ve said, we have to make our stadium a stronghold for points if we want to improve this season.”
“Our home form has been quite good on the whole, we’ve found winning and scoring at home far easier than away from the Ricoh.
MK Dons PlayerHD will have live commentary of today’s match –
for more betting options for today’s Sky Bet League One fixture - don't forget the Dons benefit every time you win with Sky Bet! here Click
*All odds correct at the time of writing
Andy Rose: 10/1
Andre Wright: 6/1
Dan Agyei: 11/2
No goalscorer: 11/1
Ryan Colclough: 7/1
Dean Bowditch: 13/2
Kieran Agard: 5/1
First goalscorer
Coventry win: 9/5
Draw: 5/2
Dons win: 7/5
Result
Last Coventry win: 2-1, Sat 28 Feb 2015 (Ricoh Arena)
Coventry wins at the Ricoh Arena: 1
Coventry wins: 3
Last draw: 0-0, Sat 23 Aug 2013
Draws at the Ricoh Arena: 1
Draws: 2
Supporters can also stay in touch with the Dons via mkdons.com’s matchday blog, which can be accessed by visiting the home page from midday.
to sign up for as little as £4.49 a month!hereclick !Snapchat and Instagram, Facebook, TwitterThere will also be full coverage on the Club’s social media channels –
A full match report will be available to view on mkdons.com straight after the final whistle.
for more betting options for today’s Sky Bet League One fixture - don't forget the Dons benefit every time you win with Sky Bet! here Click
*All odds correct at the time of writing
Andy Rose: 10/1
Andre Wright: 6/1
Dan Agyei: 11/2
No goalscorer: 11/1
Ryan Colclough: 7/1
Dean Bowditch: 13/2
Kieran Agard: 5/1
First goalscorer
Coventry win: 9/5
Draw: 5/2
Dons win: 7/5
Result
Last Coventry win: 2-1, Sat 28 Feb 2015 (Ricoh Arena)
Coventry wins at the Ricoh Arena: 1
Coventry wins: 3
Last draw: 0-0, Sat 23 Aug 2013
Draws at the Ricoh Arena: 1
Draws: 2
Supporters can also stay in touch with the Dons via mkdons.com’s matchday blog, which can be accessed by visiting the home page from midday.
to sign up for as little as £4.49 a month!hereclick !Snapchat and Instagram, Facebook, TwitterThere will also be full coverage on the Club’s social media channels –
A full match report will be available to view on mkdons.com straight after the final whistle.
