It may not have been the dream debut for MK Dons’ Sam Gallagher, but throughout his 76 minutes on the pitch during his sides shock 4-1 away win at Rotherham, there were glimpses of the qualities he could bring to a club tipped to finish last in their inaugural Championship campaign.
When he signed his loan deal to join the Championship newcomers, he came from Premier League club Southampton with 18 first team appearances, scoring 1 goal in an FA Cup win against Yeovil Town. It might not be an outstanding record, but at just 18 years of age (at the time, anyway), nobody could have been expecting shed loads of goals. Another factor contributing to his low scoring rate however, could just be the reason Karl Robinson brought him to Buckinghamshire.
Standing at an enormous 6ft 4in, he’s by far taller than any of the previous strikers that the club have had recently, including Will Grigg and Tom Hitchcock (both 5ft 11 in) and the now-Wolves forward Benik Afobe (6ft 0in). He is also four inches taller than his new strike partner Simon Church, so is that enough to warrant him a starting position over the Welsh international?
As well as his height, he also boasts tremendous strength that was shown in abundance on the opening day against Rotherham. The Miller’s centre back pairing of Tom Thorpe and Danny Collins had a tough time dealing with him as angled balls in, mostly from Dean Lewington and Anthony Kay, were delivered towards Gallagher, and using all of his 6ft 4in frame (three inches taller than Thorpe and four inches taller than Collins), he was able to win the majority of his headers, giving confidence to his fellow attackers behind him as well as the fans.
The qualities that Gallagher possesses could well be a key part of the MK Dons bid for survival this season. If Lewington, Kay, and either Spence or Hodson (depending on who starts at right back) can continue to loft their passes into him, Gallagher will then have the ability to either control it himself and create a chance from there, or be able to knock it down to members of the ever-rotating midfield. Against Rotherham Karl Robinson started with Rob Hall, Ben Reeves and Dean Bowditch, but in later games it could consist of Carl Baker, Dale Jennings, Cristian Benavente, Samir Carruthers, Daniel Powell or Giorgio Rasulo, all of whom have exceptional quality when it comes to finishing.
Though not one of Robinson’s favourite systems to play, it could also benefit Gallagher to play up front with Church from time to time, with Gallagher providing the height and muscle and Church providing the finishing. However, with such a small squad and an extremely tight budget, Robinson won’t want to risk having one of them injured, especially when it seems Tom Hitchcock may get more than just one loan spell away this season.
So after a bit of analysis on his game against Rotherham, and his style of play in general, what do you think? Can MK Dons’ new boy Sam Gallagher make a difference and provide the goals?
