Milton Keynes Dons suffered a damaging 2-1 defeat to Tranmere Rovers last week that saw them drop out of the automatic promotion places in League Two. While they could celebrate the fact that Kieran Agard continued his hot scoring streak and notched his 100th career goal, strikes from David Perkins and Connor Jennings saw Rovers close the gap on the Dons to just one point in the table.
With four teams battling for the remaining two automatic promotion spots after Lincoln City confirmed their place in League One last weekend, Paul Tisdale takes his side to bottom side Notts County on Good Friday in the first game of the Easter Weekend as his side look to realign their promotion push.
Milton Keynes Dons Visit Notts County in Good Friday Clash
Going Down to the Wire
Bury and Mansfield Town currently hold the final two automatic places, with MK Dons and Tranmere in close quarters behind them. The table could look so different by the end of play on Friday, with just three points separating fifth-placed Tranmere and Bury in second.
The Dons, on paper, have the easiest game of the weekend as they face the side bottom of not just League Two, but the entire Football League. The Magpies have won only twice since the beginning of March and the world’s oldest Football League club are in serious danger of dropping into the National League.
While this could play in their favour, as they could potentially move out of the relegation zone with a win on Friday, one would think the Dons’ quality will be too much for a side with no momentum and have been struggling for most of the season.
Bury, who are currently marred with off-field issues, face a trip to Newport County while Mansfield and Tranmere host Morecambe and Forest Green Rovers respectively.
Head to Head
Last time out between these two sides, MK Dons came out on top in a 2-1 win at Stadium MK. Lewis Alessandra gave the visitors a shock lead with his deflected first-half effort, but Jamie Turley’s red card just before the hour mark allowed Chuks Aneke to restore parity from the penalty spot before Rhys Healey’s stunning effort nine minutes later sealed the points.
The Dons have an excellent record against County, losing just once in 15 meetings since the first in 2006. With only three draws as well, history is firmly on the Dons’ side in terms of taking all three points.
The solitary loss was a 2-0 defeat at the Meadow Lane in 2010 when late goals from Tom Ince and Lee Hughes capitalised on Aaron Wilbraham’s red card. Meanwhile, the first meeting back in 2006 ended in a 3-2 win for MK Dons, with Lloyd Dyer finding the net twice along with Scott Taylor.
This fixture will also be remembered for the first career hat-trick of current Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli. The England international struck all three for his side in a 3-1 win in 2014 that strengthened the club’s grip on a League One promotion spot.
#TBT@dele_official scored his first career hat-trick when #MKDons visited Meadow Lane in March 2014 ⚽️⚽️⚽️#NOTvMKD pic.twitter.com/AWwDTXj7Rr
— MK Dons (@MKDonsFC) April 18, 2019
Prediction
This game is not going to be as easy as it looks on paper for MK Dons. Notts County are fighting for their lives and relegation to non-league could have devastating effects on such a historic club. They’ll be pulling out all of the stops to ensure that doesn’t happen.
However, their efforts to do that so far have all been in vain as their position at the bottom of the table is indicative of how they just haven’t done enough this season. As such, MK Dons should find this one relatively comfortable overall, but there could be a couple of nervy moments along the way.
Prediction: Notts County 0-2 MK Dons
Main Photo
