Finally, things look like they could be turning around at stadium.mk. A solid performance and a further three goals propelled MK Dons up to 16th in the table. And the long wait since their last league win, 60 days to be exact, made the result today feel just that bit sweeter, especially against a team who possess one of the league’s main threats.
The defence remained solid throughout this afternoon. It was the usual back four of Jordan Spence, Antony Kay, Kyle McFadzean and Dean Lewington, and despite some often relentless pressure from the 10 men of Blackburn (Adam Henley was sent off after just 10 minutes), they remained calm to clear any danger. When called upon, David Martin was at his best too, most notably denying Jordan Rhodes his eighth goal of the season with a wonderful point blank save from the striker’s bullet header.
Diego Poyet and Jake Forster-Caskey seems to be a tremendous partnership, especially in the absence of the more experienced Darren Potter. However, if Forster-Caskey’s loan were to be extended past its expiry after the QPR game next week, it seems the Irishman may have a job on his hands to get his place back. Poyet has been outstanding since his season-long loan from West Ham, breaking up the majority of attacking play to take the pressure off Kay and McFadzean, and Forster-Caskey’s engine means he can drive forward to unleash shots as well as get back and help out Poyet just behind the attacking midfield.
Simon Church put in another good shift, especially considering he’s been away with the Wales squad the past few weeks. At last it seems his constant running and pressure might be starting to reap the rewards, with 2 in the last 4 league games. It’s not a brilliant tally to say the least, but he’s definitely showing signs of improvement.
However today, it was the attacking midfield that won the game. Never before have I seen three people work so hard to win a football game. Josh Murphy, Ben Reeves and Rob Hall were absolutely outstanding today, but it was the man in the middle of them, Reeves, who really stole the show.
It all started for him after just 10 minutes, when he calmly sent Jason Steele the wrong way on a penalty to get the ball rolling. And from there on, he was arguably the best player on the pitch. Not one stray pass or terrible mistake, it was just a typical Ben Reeves performance. His second goal of the day certainly had some class about it too. After playing a short corner, a wonderful passing move between himself, Maynard, Baker and Forster-Caskey resulted in him curling beautifully beyond Steele from a tight angle.
It wasn’t just a one off from the Northern Ireland international though. Despite only making a return from injury in the home loss to Leeds, he has been a definite contender for man of the match in all of his games since and has certainly established himself as a vital member of the squad in Milton Keynes, something that will hopefully remain that way for a very long time.
