A chorus of boos rang around stadium:mk at both half-time and full-time this afternoon. A completely passionless performance from MK Dons resulted in a 2-0 loss to local rivals Peterborough United, who took the three points thanks to goals from Andrew Hughes and Michael Bostwick.
MK Dons’ Poor Home Form Continues
The misery started for the Dons less than two minutes into the game. A foul by George Williams allowed Marcus Maddison to swing in a free-kick, and he put it in a plate for Hughes to steer home. The majority of the pressure throughout the first half came from the Dons. Daniel Powell was busy on the left, as were Williams and George Baldock on the right. All three were playing in plenty of crosses, but nothing came from any of them.
The partnership of Ed Upson and Darren Potter appears to be getting stronger, with Upson now more willing to go forward. This allows Potter to sit back and break up opposition attacks. In front of them, Samir Carruthers was active throughout. However, he just always seemed to lose the ball in the wrong place, allowing Peterborough to counter-attack. Both of these factors were common throughout the game.
However, the lack of goals at home is starting to become a problem for MK Dons. The fans made this clear at half-time, with a fairly large section of the crowd booing the players as they left the field for the break.
The home side started well in the second half. There seemed to be a little more intensity and more willingness to attack. However, when you play a game like that, there’s always a danger of being countered upon. Peterborough did just this. Having won a free-kick from a fast break, the Posh doubled their lead. Again it was Maddison with a sublime delivery, this time on to the head of Bostwick. The midfielder’s header looped in to the roof of the net, out of reach for David Martin.
This triggered the Dons’ final change, one that certainly pleased the fans. A terrible performance from Nicky Maynard was summed up when fans cheered as his name was read out, and he was replaced by teenager Kabongo Tshimanga. The youngster failed to make the impact he did in the midweek EFL Cup match, however did almost steer in Ben Reeves‘ effort.
Boos were once again present at full-time, but this time seemed to be coming from all corners of the stadium. Many fans say that Karl Robinson has no ‘Plan B’. Others say that he has become too predictable as a manager. Some are saying that more money needs to be invested into the squad. Whatever is going wrong at MK Dons, it needs to change fast. The fans are not happy.
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