MK Dons have agreed a deal to sign goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray on a free transfer.
MacGillivray, 30, will officially join the Football Club when his contract with Burton Albion expires at the end of June.
Since making his EFL debut for Walsall in June 2014, MacGillivray has amassed 238 professional appearances for clubs such as the Saddlers, Shrewsbury Town, Portsmouth, Charlton Athletic and, most recently, Burton.
The experienced shot-stopper is an EFL Trophy winner with Portsmouth and was also their Player of the Year in 2021. He has kept a total of 76 clean sheets during his career so far and while with the Brewers last season, boasted a record of six shutouts in 19 games.
He becomes the Club’s fourth signing this summer, following the arrivals of Alex Gilbey and Cameron Norman as well as fellow goalkeeper Nathan Harness earlier today.
“I’m delighted to be here,” MacGillivray said in an exclusive interview with iFollow MK Dons. “It’s been in the pipeline for a number of weeks so I’m glad to get it signed and I can’t wait to start.
“Every time I’ve come here in the past and played, it’s somewhere I remember. The Club, in recent years, have had success and that’s ultimately what everyone wants to get back to - I want to play my part in helping the Club get out of this division.
“I know what I’m capable of as a goalkeeper and I know what I can add to this current squad. Hopefully I can bring all of that here and help the manager and the Club get to where it wants to get to.”
Born in the Scottish city of Perth, MacGillivray began his career in English football’s non-league system – first with Harrogate Railway Athletic and then Stalybridge Celtic and Harrogate Town.
His performances for the latter in the Conference North caught the attention of Walsall, who signed the goalkeeper to a professional contract in June 2014. He made his senior bow in April 2015, marking the occasion with a clean-sheet and helping the Saddlers to a 2-0 win over Oldham Athletic.
MacGillivray, involved in the Walsall team that reached the League One Play-Offs in 2015/16, departed the Poundland Bescot Stadium in June 2017 and made the move to Shrewsbury Town, where he spent the 2017/18 campaign.
After one year with the Shrews, helping them also reach the League One Play-Offs, MacGillivray turned down the offer a new contract in order to join Portsmouth. He would spend the next three seasons at Fratton Park, totalling 135 appearances and 43 clean sheets.
During his time in Hampshire, MacGillivray won the EFL Trophy, saving a spot-kick in their penalty shoot-out success over Sunderland in March 2019. He was also named Pompey’s Player of the Season for the 2020/21 campaign.
The 2020/21 season proved to be his final one with Portsmouth as, in June 2021, he left the South coast for fellow League One side Charlton Athletic. MacGillivray made 51 appearances in total for the Addicks, keeping 16 clean sheets, before joining Burton Albion in January.
MacGillivray played a key role in ensuring the Brewers’ League One survival, amassing six shut-outs in 19 appearances during his short spell at the Pirelli Stadium. Ironically, the final one of those six clean-sheets came against MK Dons on the final of last season – MK Dons his new home after agreeing a move to Stadium MK.
MK Dons Head Coach Graham Alexander said: “Craig is proven with a number of games under his belt at a higher level. He has a really good temperament and you know what you’re going to get from him – which is so important, from my experience, for his outfield teammates.
“I tried to sign him at a previous club so he knows how much I rate him. I know he had a number of options, at a higher level as well, but there was a real thirst from him to come here. I think he will be a really good addition to the Club – on the pitch and off the pitch.”
Alexander added: “We have been looking to recruit two goalkeepers this summer and we wanted variety in terms of having one with experience and one much younger with potential – we have that with Craig and Nathan Harness as well.
“That combination, we feel, will bring the best out of the unit and it will be down to the goalkeepers to compete for who wears the shirt.”
