Paul Tisdale expressed his disappointment with Saturday’s suspended season-opener but insists MK Dons will use the next week-and-a-half to ensure they are ready for their Stadium MK clash with Shrewsbury Town.
The EFL made the decision on Monday night to suspend the Dons’ fixture with Bury, meaning Tisdale and his men won’t kick-off their first season back in Sky Bet League One until August 10 when they welcome the Shrews to Milton Keynes.
Tisdale sat down with iFollow MK Dons to discuss the situation and while revealing his disappointment, offered a pragmatic view of the circumstances.
“We’re disappointed,” the Dons manger said. “We were looking forward to the game and we had planned for five weeks for this game and our return to League One. It’s an eagerly-anticipated game so it’s disappointing it won’t be going ahead.
“We certainly sympathise for our supporters who had made plans, we sympathise for ourselves and, of course, for the Bury players and supporters too. It’s not been a good situation for anybody, including the EFL who have had to make a tough decision.
“We’ve been aware of the possibility but we weren’t expecting it to happen. It’s not the first time we’ve been waiting on a fixture to see whether it’s on or not. Although this is a very unusual circumstance, we do have these doubts over games throughout the season, whether it be through weather or cup arrangements.
“It has happened but we move on. We go into training now with another week and a half before our first game which will be Shrewsbury here at home. It does mean our first game back in League One will be here at Stadium MK. We just have to move on and get busy.
"I don’t think we can afford to sit and wait 10 days for our next game. Everyone is going to be off and running and we can’t step down a gear - I think we’ve got to pick it up. We will try and do something - that may well be just extra training or an in-house game behind-closed-doors.”
MK Dons will kick-off their 2019/20 season against Shrewsbury Town at Stadium MK on Saturday 10 August.
To celebrate the occasion, MK Dons, in association with Circus Magazine, will be hosting a Big Kick Off event prior to the match. This will include live music, food stalls and activities for children outside Stadium MK in the build-up to the clash with the Shrews.
Tickets for the match, and the 2019/20 season, are priced at £22 adults, £17 seniors and £7 under-18s while under-12s go FREE with an accompanying adult.
Club Dons members are entitled to £5 discount on the matchday price for 10 EFL games while Young Dons members can take advantage of a £1 discount on prices.
To purchase tickets click HERE, visit the Box Office at Stadium MK or call 0333 200 5343. Tickets will be available to buy right up until kick-off.
