MK Dons will be looking to return to winning ways this afternoon when they welcome Southend United to Stadium MK.
Paul Tisdale’s men fell to their first defeat of the month on Tuesday night as they were beaten 1-0 by Ipswich Town. The Dons, however, can take plenty of positives from the outing, and perhaps deserved a point from the encounter.
Southend arrive at Stadium MK placed 23rd in the Sky Bet League One table, but, a managerial switch seems to have rejuvenated the Shrimpers, who have scored six goals in their two games under Gary Waddock.
Kick-off is at 3pm.
THE OPPOSITION
Since MK Dons last faced Southend United in late August a lot has changed at Roots Hall. Manager Kevin Bond resigned from his position on 6th September, after a run of six defeats at the start of the season. Heading into Saturday's clash at Stadium MK, Southend are yet to replace Bond, with former Dons coach Gary Waddock currently overseeing proceedings.
Waddock has certainly injected life into Southend United, with the Essex-side scoring three goals in each of their last Sky Bet League One outings Having picked up an impressive 3-3 draw against Fleetwood at Roots Hall last weekend, Southend were on the wrong side of a 4-3 thriller against Shrewsbury Town.
Striker Stephen Humphrys is a man to watch for the opposition, he's scored five goals already this year.
LAST TIME OUT
Jon Nolan’s first-half goal was the difference as MK Dons were beaten 1-0 by Ipswich Town at Stadium MK.
Nolan struck 12 minutes into the contest and despite a dominant second-half display, Paul Tisdale’s men were unable to restore parity.
Shrewsbury edged a seven-goal League One thriller as they beat Southend 4-3.
Goals from Omar Beckles, Jason Cummings, Ollie Norburn and Callum Lang saw the home side to victory, as Stephen McLaughlin, Stephen Humphrys and Simon Cox replied.
TEAM NEWS
MK Dons will be without Rhys Healey for considerable period of time according to manager Paul Tisdale, after the striker suffered a thigh injury. Baily Cargill, Joe Mason, Jordan Moore-Taylor and Ben Reeves are also likely to miss Saturday's game.
Alex Gilbey returned to the bench against Ipswich Town after he missed the trip to Blackpool with injury.
Southend United have no injury concerns.
OFFICIALS
Antony Coggins will be in charge of today's affair at Stadium MK.
The official refereed the Dons five times last season, his latest affair was the 2-0 defeat to Colchester in April 2019. That afternoon he handed out four yellow cards.
So far this season, Coggins has shown 16 yellow cards in six games but hasn’t made a sending off.
His assistants are Marvyn Amphlett and Lisa Rashid. The fourth official is Mike Desborough.
HEAD TO HEAD
Dons wins: 8
Dons wins at Stadium MK: 4
Last Dons win: 4-1, 27 Aug 2019 (Stadium MK)
Biggest Dons win: 4-1, 27 Aug 2019 (Stadium MK)
Draws: 2
Draws at Stadium MK: 1
Last draw: 1-1, 21 Nov 2017 (Stadium MK)
Southend wins: 3
Southend wins at Stadium MK: 1
Last Southend win: 4-0, 21 Apr 2018 (Roots Hall)
Biggest Southend win: 4-0, 21 Apr 2018 (Roots Hall)
SKY BET ODDS
Dons win: 4/6
Draw: 14/5
Southend United win: 7/2
Click HERE for more Sky Bet odds!
ELSEWHERE IN SKY BET LEAGUE ONE
Accrington Stanley v Blackpool
AFC Wimbledon v Bristol Rovers
Bolton Wanderers v Sunderland
Doncaster Rovers v Peterborough United
Fleetwood Town v Rochdale
Gillingham v Ipswich Town
Lincoln City v Oxford United
Rotherham United v Shrewsbury Town
Tranmere Rovers v Burton Albion
Wycombe Wanderers v Portsmouth
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Tickets for the match are priced at £22 adults, £17 seniors and £7 under-18s while under-12s go FREE with an accompanying adult. Supporters can upgrade to premium seats in the East Centre for a £5 premium while an upgrade to clubRed is just £10 more.
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.
Can't make the match? Not to worry, supporters will be able to listen to live commentary on iFollow MK Dons for just £2.50 - click HERE to purchase an Audio Match Pass!
Supporters can also stay in touch with the action via mkdons.com’s Match Centre, which can be accessed by visiting the home page from 2pm.
There will also be full coverage on the Club’s social media channels – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat!
A full match report will be available to view on mkdons.com straight after the final whistle along with full reaction from Paul Tisdale and a player. Highlights will be available to view three hours after the final whistle.
