After going five league games without a win in League Two, four of which were 1-1 draws, MK Dons finally stopped the rot in their midweek 2-0 win away at Port Vale. Chuks Aneke and Kieran Agard were both on target in a game that the visitors largely dominated and their win could have been far more comfortable against the Stoke-based side.
The win propelled Paul Tisdale’s side back into the play-off mix and to within a few points on the automatic promotion places – their main aim for this season. This weekend they host Cheltenham Town as they look to build on the Port Vale win and cement their place in League Two’s top seven.
MK Dons Host Cheltenham Town Looking to Build on Midweek Win
The Improvers v The Strugglers
MK Dons made the perfect start to life back in League Two, collecting two wins from their opening two games. This was particularly impressive as both games were against sides that were relegated along with the Dons last season. Since then, though, wins have been hard to come by, and only another two have been collected between now and then. While they have been hard to beat, signified by the number of draws, the lack of firepower up front was evident in that period.
However, in recent games, there has been a noticeable improvement. Kieran Agard scored his fourth goal of the season against Vale, his second in three games, Chuks Aneke seems to be finding his feet after a summer of turmoil over whether he would stay at the club, and fans seem to be really impressed with Cardiff loanee Rhys Healey, who got off the mark in the loss to Lincoln.
With three strikers who seem to be in a good period of form, Osman Sow (who has suffered yet another injury setback) yet to fully return, as well as youngster Sam Nombe waiting in the wings, the striker problem seems to be sorting itself out.
The same cannot be said for Cheltenham, though. They are the joint-third lowest scorers in the league, behind Grimsby and Northampton and level with Crewe, and have won just two games out of 11 so far this season. Their goal difference of -6 shows that they may not have the leakiest defence for a team that are struggling, but an away game against a side who look as though they are due to thrash a team any game soon could be a daunting task.
With the bottom of League Two so tight, just three points separating 23rd to 17th, a loss for Cheltenham could be catastrophic for their confidence. Their month doesn’t get any easier after this either, as they face Forest Green, Oldham and Stevenage, all of whom are in the top eight at the moment.
Key Men
MK Dons
Against Port Vale, George Williams had his first chance of the season to show off his versatility as he was deployed at right-wing-back as opposed to his usual position, for this season, of centre-back. In his time back at the club, he has been used in every position across the defence, but Tisdale chose to give Callum Brittain a rest in the week and brought Baily Cargill back into the side, pushing Williams out to the right.
The move worked, and the Dons looked far more threatening going forward with Williams doing the work out wide. While he didn’t have a hand in either of the goals, he created numerous opportunities and even saw a second-half volley crash off the bar.
There’s no certainty that he will play there against Cheltenham as Brittain has performed admirably himself and does not deserve to be dropped, but even if he does play at centre-back again, the confidence Williams will have gained from the Port Vale game could go a long way to helping the Dons to another three points this weekend.
Cheltenham Town
The Robins have three players who are level as the top scorers so far this season. Ryan Broom, Conor Thomas and Luke Varney each have two so far, Varney getting his haul from a total of just 121 minutes played. The former Premier League striker scored a brace in the 2-2 draw against Morecambe, the second coming deep into injury time to rescue a point.
The 36-year-old may not feature from the start against the Dons having played in midweek, but he is one of the threats the Dons’ defence will have to look out for should he enter the field.
Prediction
The Dons are yet to fully dominate a game so far and have still not scored more than two goals in a league game. Cheltenham’s reasonable goal difference for a side in their position suggests that this game will not be the one to end that trait, although this still looks like it will be a tough ask for Michael Duff’s side to get anything out of.
The midweek win over Port Vale should give the Dons some confidence after their stale spell and the strikers will be raring to go once again. Regardless of who Tisdale picks in the forward positions, expect at least one of them to be on the scoresheet in a comfortable, yet uninspiring win.
Prediction: MK Dons 2-0 Cheltenham Town
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