mkdons.com details the storylines to follow heading into Saturday’s Sky Bet League Two encounter with Crawley Town...
Four in a row
MK Dons kept things rolling with a 2-0 victory over Newport County last weekend at Stadium MK, which made it third successive wins for Paul Tisdale’s men.
Now they’re out to extend that run to four straight successes, which would be their longest complete winning stretch of the campaign - the Dons did win five league games in succession back in October but, in-between that run, were beaten in the Checkatrade Trophy by Luton Town.
In fact, the Dons haven’t won four straight games in all competitions since the 2014/15 promotion-winning campaign.
Defensive question marks for Tis
Boss Paul Tisdale could face a selection headache on Saturday with up to five defenders potentially unavailable through injury.
George Williams and Jordan Moore-Taylor have been sidelined for a while but Baily Cargill, Russell Martin and Mathieu Baudry were added to the list last week.
That could leave Callum Brittain, Joe Walsh, Dean Lewington, Mitch Hancox and Finn Tapp as the only defenders fit and available for selection this weekend.
Midfielders Jordan Houghton and Ousseynou Cisse have shown their versatility this season and also featured in defence, along with Conor McGrandle and Ryan Watson.
Maintaining the pressure on the top three
Last Saturday saw the top four sides in Sky Bet League Two all pick up victories, which means the Dons remain two points adrift of the automatic promotion places heading into the weekend.
Tisdale’s men, who have opened up a four-point gap over fifth place, will want to take care of their own business at Stadium MK in order to be in a position to take advantage of any slip-up from Lincoln City, Bury or Mansfield Town.
The league-leading Imps, who drew 1-1 with Exeter City in midweek, travel to seventh-placed Forest Green Rovers while Bury take on Macclesfield Town at Gigg Lane. Mansfield Town, one spot above the Dons in the table, entertain Cheltenham Town.
Well-travelled Red Devils
Arriving in Milton Keynes on Saturday will be a confident Crawley Town outfit who are currently riding a three-game unbeaten run away from home.
During that stretch, the Red Devils have defeated Swindon Town and drawn with Northampton Town while, most impressively, taking points off second-placed Bury at Gigg Lane.
Gabriele Cioffi’s men have also beaten Lincoln City on their travels this term while it took an 88th-minute goal from Tyler Walker to separate them from promotion-contenders Mansfield Town back in January.
Paul Tisdale and his side certainly won’t be underestimating their opponents on Saturday.
Aneke catching Reeves
Chuks Aneke scored his 30th MK Dons goal in the final minute of last weekend’s win over Newport County, which moved the striker above Clive Platt and into sole possession of eighth place in the Club’s all-time goalscorer list.
The 25-year-old is now just two goals behind Ben Reeves in the chart and will have aspirations to catch the midfielder before the season is out - potentially starting that chase on Saturday.
In terms of league goals, Aneke is tied for seventh-place with Clive Platt on 27 goals. The MK Dons number 10 needs to find the net five more times without reply to catch Kieran Agard and six more to match Sam Baldock’s tally.
Talking of Agard...
Double century for Agard
Kieran Agard is set to make his 200th league start on Saturday and there’s no doubt the striker will be hoping to mark the occasion with a goal.
Eighty-six of those 199 starts to date have come for MK Dons, with a further 56 made during his time with Rotherham United. The other starts were for Bristol City (41), Yeovil Town (13), and Kilmarnock (3).
Should the MK Dons number 14 find a celebratory goal then it would move him level with Sam Baldock into fifth place in the Club’s all-time league goalscorer list. Agard still needs five more goals to match Baldock in terms in the total goalscorer list.
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MK Dons will be looking to make it four wins in a row when they welcome Crawley Town to Stadium MK this Saturday afternoon.
Tickets are priced from £22 adults, £17 over-65s and £7 under-18s while under-12s go FREE with a Young Dons members. Supporters can upgrade their seat to East Centre for just £5 more while an upgrade to clubRed is available for a £10 premium.
Don’t forget, with a Club Dons membership you can enjoy a £5 discount on 10 EFL matches during the 2018/19 season - Young Dons members are entitled to £1 off all 2018/19 EFL matches. Season Ticket holders can also bring a friend for FREE on one occasion during the campaign while Premier Members can do so twice.
To book tickets click HERE, visit the Box Office or call 0333 200 5343. Tickets will be available to buy right up until kick-off.
