Relegation really can take its toll on some teams. Fans from clubs all over the country are in that position right now, and it’s not a nice feeling. Having been relegated into a division with supposedly easier teams, you would expect your team, having played harder ones the previous season, to be able to cope well. However, the fact is, some teams just do not. One team with that exact problem now is Karl Robinson’s MK Dons.
After eight games back in League One, the Dons lie in 17th place with a total of nine points. Just two wins all season, away at Shrewsbury and Rochdale, have left Robinson’s side struggling in the bottom half of the table; just one point and one place above rivals AFC Wimbledon. Three draws, against Millwall, Bolton and Oxford, have added a further three points. However, the Dons have fallen to defeat three times as well, in home games against Bradford and Peterborough, and an away game against Northampton Town. It’s also worth noting that last Saturday’s stalemate with Oxford was the ninth game running in which MK Dons haven’t won at home; a run stretching back to the Championship season, when the Dons defeated QPR 2-0 in March.
The MK Dons fans always expect the best of the team, something which they certainly haven’t seen this season. With that said, they will be hoping that the Dons can regain some form with a win at Fleetwood Town this weekend.
Fleetwood Game: A Must Win For MK Dons
Fleetwood have made a comfortable, perhaps surprisingly good start this season. Managed by former Leeds and Wigan boss Uwe Rosler, the Lancashire side sit in seventh; just outside the play-offs. Their total of 12 points has been gained from three wins and three draws, along with just two losses.
A win for MK Dons would put them level on points with Saturday’s opponents. However, because of Fleetwood’s far superior goal difference, it’s unlikely the Dons would overtake them. The best they could hope for to get close to Fleetwood is a win of two or more goals which would need to be coupled with a loss for Millwall against Rochdale.
It would be safe to assume that a Dons side playing at their best should beat Fleetwood. They did twice in the 2014/15 season, 2-1 at home and 0-3 away. The fans at stadium.mk are growing increasingly irritated with the current results. It’s strange to call a game at this stage of the season a ‘must win’, but it does seem fitting in many ways. Unless no more than four points are gained in the final two games of this month, the Dons will be languishing in the bottom half of the table; flirting with the relegation zone. This could be enough to see Karl Robinson removed from his position as manager. This is something that some fans may feel is almost inevitable now.
The Dons will obviously be hoping for a positive result from the game. Whether is it a ‘must win’ though, may only become clear after the game. The result could have big implications on the outcome of the Don’s season; a season which may be much tougher that many expected.
