MK Dons were forced to settle for a point against a well-organised and energetic Grimsby side on Tuesday night. The away side were thoroughly on top in the first half but conceded less than a minute after the break following two half-time changes by Dons manager Paul Tisdale.
MK Dons Earn a Point Thanks to Half-Time Changes
The Dons started with the 5-3-2 formation that they have used every game so far this season, with Ouss Cisse continuing in a more advanced role that has seen him earn the plaudits of many fans. Grimsby lined up in an almost identical fashion, but their wide men, Jake Hessenthaler and Martyn Woolford, played as part of the midfield, creating a midfield five that completely overran the Dons’ three.
Grimsby’s presence in midfield allowed them to see much more of the ball in the first half and they used their possession well, passing with intensity and direction that meant they were a constant threat when coming forward. Essentially, the Dons were having the same problem they had against Bury when two of the midfield players were too committed to attacking, leaving just Jordan Houghton in the middle to deal with any breaks from the away side.
It was exactly this problem that led to the opening goal of the game. Ouss Cisse was dispossessed just inside his own half with Alex Gilbey and Ryan Watson ahead of him. Dean Lewington was also out of position as he had come to support Cisse. The ball was then poked forward Jordan Cook, who was in acres of space, with just Houghton, Jordan Moore-Taylor and Joe Walsh back for cover. Cook laid a pass onto Martyn Woolford, whose low effort was saved by Lee Nicholls, but he could only palm into the path of Cook, who slammed into the top corner on the rebound.
Half-Time Changes
Paul Tisdale addressed the problems at half-time, withdrawing Gilbey and Watson and replacing them with centre-back Baily Cargill and striker Robbie Simpson. Tisdale, after the game, admitted that the change worked, although he had kept players on the pitch who had performed worse than Gilbey and Watson in the opening 45 minutes.
The formation stayed the same as the opening period, however, Moore-Taylor was brought forward into midfield and Cisse dropped back into the same position to form a midfield three with Houghton. This time, though, both Moore-Taylor and Houghton operated as the defensive side of the midfield, with Cisse providing support in attack. Doing this meant that there was less chance of too many midfielders committing themselves to helping the strikers and having the same problems as the first half. Simpson then occupied the gap that Cisse had left in the forward line.
The changes made an immediate impact, as the Dons went on the attack straight away in the second half. Kieran Agard, Callum Brittain and George Williams worked the ball down the right-hand side, and Williams’ first-time cross was met by the unmarked Simpson who headed in his first goal for the club since joining from Exeter, less than 50 seconds after the re-start.
Simpson caused the Grimsby defence all sorts of problems and he could have easily had a second soon after his first. A wonderful ball through from Cisse was flicked on by Agard into Simpson’s path, but his effort was well saved by Sam McKeown.
Vast Improvement
The same change that was made against Bury had the same effect in this game. Shifting to two defensive-minded midfielders gave a much greater balance to the Dons’ play and they created far more chances in the second half when playing in this way, as well as looking much more solid in defence.
On another day, Tisdale’s side would have taken three points from this game. They were given an excellent opportunity late on when Grimsby’s Paul Dixon was dismissed for an awful two-footed tackle on Moore-Taylor and had numerous scoring opportunities in a goalmouth scramble right at the end. A shot from Agard was tremendously saved by McKeown, Simpson couldn’t scramble in the rebound, Joe Walsh’s shot got lost in a mire of Grimsby bodies on the goal-line and the ball eventually trickled just wide of the post.
The Dons will no doubt accept that they should have played better overall, but with it still being so early in the season with a load of points still to play for, they shouldn’t be too disheartened. Tisdale comes up against Exeter City this weekend, the club where he spent 12 years as a manager, and he will be desperate to knock his old side off the top of the league and, hopefully, replace them with his new one.
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