MK Dons’ relegation back to League One was confirmed by a 4-1 home defeat by Brentford on the 23rd of April.
Nicky Maynard gave the Dons a sixth minute lead in that game to give the fans hope of extending their stay in the Championship by at least another week, but Sergi Canos, Lasse Vibe, Ryan Woods and Jake Bidwell all got on the score sheet to send Karl Robinson’s side back to the third tier.
Changes Already Underway At MK Dons
Two games have passed since that point, and MK Dons were still not able to get their first win since the beginning of March, losing 3-2 away at Ipswich and 2-1 at home to Nottingham Forest. Alex Revell’s brace looked to have earned the Dons a point in an entertaining encounter in Suffolk, but a late Luke Varney header denied them just their 16th point on the road this season. Defeat was also the outcome on the final day as Britt Assombalonga scored his first goal in 15 months to give 10-man Nottingham Forest the three points. Nicky Maynard added his eighth and final goal of the season in that game, but it wasn’t enough.
Maynard is also the subject of some of the more recent news to come out of stadium.mk. He, along with Jordan Spence, Antony Kay and Matthew Upson will not be returning to Milton Keynes next season as the Dons look to re-adjust following their relegation. Local news reported that Robinson was ‘desperate’ for Maynard to stay, with the boss saying ‘I think his goal ratio was 1 in 3 starts – that’s Championship standard.’ However hard Robinson tried though, Maynard has said he sees his future elsewhere.
Also leaving upon the expiry of his contract is Antony Kay. The defender has come under fire this season for some poor performances, and was eventually dropped just before Christmas, being replaced by Joe Walsh. Walsh has kept his place in the side ever since, with Kay making the odd appearance until he was brought back in for the suspended Kyle McFadzean at the start of April. The Barnsley born defender however was a crucial part of the Dons’ promotion to the Championship, playing more games (49) than anybody else in the 2014/15 campaign. His 142 appearances and six goals will be remembered fondly by the fans and even though this season the performances weren’t up to standard, it will be sad to see him go.
Former England international Matt Upson lasted just one, injury-hit season at the Dons. No goals and only seven appearances didn’t warrant a new contract from Robinson, despite the excessive time on the sidelines that Upson suffered. When he was on the pitch, Upson often looked comfortable at Championship level and his vast amount of experience shone through in a relatively inexperienced side.
The final player to depart upon contract expiry is the surprise package of the group. Right-back Jordan Spence will not be returning next season after making 71 appearances for the club, and a further 29 across two loan spells. Spence started the season promisingly, providing stand-out performances in the season-opener away at Rotherham and the home fixture with Birmingham City, but was dropped going into the new year as George Baldock returned from his loan spell with Oxford United. Spence’s departure may mean a return for Lee Hodson, who spent the second half of the season on-loan at Scottish side Kilmarnock after falling down the pecking order at Milton Keynes.
Meanwhile, Josh Murphy, Rob Hall, Jake Forster-Caskey, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Kevin Long have all returned to their parent clubs.
Robinson is set to speak to goalkeepers Charlie Burns, 20 and Cody Cropper, 23, Carl Baker, 33 and Alex Revell, 32 regarding their futures at the club as their contracts are set to end this summer.
Nothing has been announced yet regarding the future of Simon Church. The Welsh forward scored just two league goals in the first part of the season, but found much more success in a loan spell at Aberdeen in the second half of the season, netting six times in 10 games for the Scottish Dons.
