2020/21 Prediction League; Game 16 v Milton Keynes Dons (home)

Div3North · 04-12-2020, 00:02

Accrington Stanley

v

Milton Keynes Dons

2020/21 Prediction League Game 16; v The Former PhonyWombles (home)

I see the Seasonal Sack Race is in full swing; Phil Parkinson, in post for 409 days at Roker Park, was "let go" on Sunday, with the club - who draw way too many games - in eighth place, two defeats in 14, and 24 points; bizarre? "We don't know how we're going to manage without you, Phil, but starting from Monday we're going to try" ....Apparently Danny Cowley is 1-2 for the job, with Gus Poyet and Lee Johnson at 3-1 ............ There's no change at the top of the "Longevity List" - well, there wouldn't be, would there - which continues to read Simon Weaver (Harrogate), followed by Ainsworth, Dyche, Coleman (6 years 74 days this time round) and Jurgen Klopp .......... but 36 current managers have been with their clubs less than a year (including Wayne Rooney at Derby and Andrew Taylor at the Black Cats, both holding Temporary Acting Rank only) ........ and thirteen of those are under 100 days (even Napoleon managed that long) including Veljko Paunović at Reading and Frenchman Valérien Ismaël who played for Strasbourg, Lens, Werder Bremen and Bayern, as well as Crystal Palace) at Barnsley

And Fort William FC of the Highland Light Infantry, who haven't played since March, started their truncated season (each team plays each other team just once this year) with a game last weekend against Clachnacuddin ......... and it was postponed because of a flooded pitch! This Saturday - Fraserburgh (away); watch this space! And for one glorious season a year or three back I was a season-ticket holder for Albion Rovers (it was a "pay what you want" deal with no expectation of ever going to a game, which I never did - but I bet I'm the only former Albion Rovers Season Ticket holder any of you have ever met!)

Milton Keynes, about 45 miles north-west of London in Buckinghamshire, was established as a new town in 1967. In the absence of a professional football club representing the town - none of the local non-league teams progressed significantly through the English football league "pyramid" over the following decades - it was occasionally suggested that a Football League club might relocate there. There was no precedent in English football for such a move between areas (unlike in the NFL in the States), and the football authorities and most fans expressed strong opposition to the idea. Charlton Athletic briefly considered moving to "a progressive Midlands borough" during a planning dispute with their local council in 1973, and the relocation of nearby Luton Town to Milton Keynes was repeatedly suggested from the 1980s onwards. Another team linked with the new town was Wimbledon Football Club.

Wimbledon, established in south London in 1889 and nicknamed "the Dons", were elected to the Football League in 1977; they went through a "fairytale" rise from obscurity and by the end of the 1980s were established in the top division of English football. Despite their new prominence, the club's stadium at Plough Lane was identified by then-owner Ron Noades as a problem as early as 1979, including its location. Noades briefly planned to move Wimbledon to Milton Keynes by merging with a non-league club there, and bought debt-ridden Milton Keynes City - originally called Mercedes-Benz, who became MK City in 1998, and retained the name until its own demise in 2003, coinciding with the relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes. Noades then abandoned the idea; however, a consortium led by music promoter Pete Winkelman and supported by Asda and IKEA proposed a large retail development in Milton Keynes, including a Football League-standard stadium, and that an established league club might move to use this site; they approached Luton, Wimbledon, Crystal Palace, Barnet and Queens Park Rangers.

To the fury of most Wimbledon fans, it was announced on 2 August 2001 that Wimbledon FC intended to relocate to Milton Keynes. After the Football League refused permission, Wimbledon launched an appeal, leading to a Football Association arbitration hearing and subsequently the appointment of a three-man independent commission to make a final and binding verdict. The league and FA stated opposition but the commissioners ruled in favour, two to one, on 28 May 2002.... And so it all began .....

And in October 2006, agreement was reached between the club, the Milton Keynes Dons Supporters Association, the Wimbledon Independent Supporters' Association and the Football Supporters Federation; the FA Cup trophy plus all club honours gathered under the name of Wimbledon F.C. would be returned to the London Borough of Merton. As part of the same agreement it was agreed that any reference made to Milton Keynes Dons FC should refer only to events subsequent to 7 August 2004, the date of the Donuts' first League game , which was a 1–1 home draw against Barnsley ..... Starter for Ten; who scored the very first competitive goal for the MK Dons that day?

At the end of season 2018/19, the Dons signed former Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale; PT had been a Grecian for 12 years ("What's a Grecian Urn? About £20 a week") After a season where they were tipped to be favourites for promotion, the club spent most of the season around the automatic promotion and play-off places. From being top after a 2–0 win over Macclesfield Town in November, the club sank to 8th in February, before being one win way away from automatic promotion against play-off hopefuls Colchester United in the penultimate game. Colchester beat them 2-0, which led to a "winner takes all" game against 3rd placed Mansfield Town, who were separated by goal difference, to determine who was promoted. MK Dons won 1–0 in front of nearly 21,000 fans meaning they returned to League One at the first attempt.

Last season they finished 19th with a record reading P35 W10 D7 L18 GF36 GA47 for 37 points (PPG 1.06) - two points above the Wombles, and five about the GreasyPole places .......... we beat them 2-1 at ours in August, with goals from Bishop Hughes ......... sorry, no, goals from Bishop AND Hughes ........... but the return game didn't happen ........ Rhys Healey was their leading scorer with 12 in all competitions ......... In the summer they released, retired or sold 13 players, including striker Dylan Asonganyi (who signed for Oxford), Jordan Bowery (to Mansfield), GK Stuart Moore (Wealdstone), lots of others you won't know, and CMF Conor McGrandles to Lincoln Imps, fellow CMF Alex Gilbey to Charlton, the aforementioned Rhys Healey to Toulouse in French League 2, and RB Callum Brittain (who only signed on 25th August 2020, but who went to the LambChops on 10th October).......... and CB Russell Martin, who retired to concentrate on being the First Team manager

They signed ten (including the fast-departing M Bretagne), but also including CMF Ben Gladwin - who voiced the Hovis advert ("Me Grandad allus used to say ...."), CB Richard Keogh, who played for all sorts of people, but mostly Coventry and Derby, striker Cameron Zishan Rana-Jerome (ex Cardiff, Brum, Stoke, Norwich, Derby and Göztepe Spor Kulübü (Turkey, if you didn't know), and CMF Andrew Surman Currently they're 15th, with a record which reads P15 W4 D5 L6 GF17 GA19 and 17 points ........at home its W2 D3 L2 F10 A9, and away it's W2 D2 L4 F7 A10 ......... wins against Gillingham and Wigan, both by 2-0 at home, and at Sunderland 2-1 and Charlton 1-0 ...... after a poor start (5 points from their first 8 games) their last seven have produced 12 points with only one defeat (0-3 at home to table-topping Hull)

They've had 14 managers in 16 years (Paul Ince twice) but also including Danny Wilson, Martin "Mad Dog" Allen, and Roberto di Matteo ...... their Honours Board - now the Wombles cups and trophies have been returned (bit like the Elgin Marbles - but how did the Greeks - who had a word for most things - find a gutter to play alleys in with things that size?) ... - reads "League One Runners Up 2014/15", "EFL League Two Winners 2007/08" and "3rd place 2018/19", and "FL Trophy Winners 2007/08" (under Paul Ince)

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 5th December (soon be Christmas!) ............ this, by my standards, is a short opener, but I'm absolutely super-busy at work, so I hope you'll forgive me for once (actually, it's probably a blessed relief for you all not to have to read 2000 words of drivel like most weeks (not that most of you do read it anyway!) ......... "Unbeaten in six" the man on Sky Sports News said ........... can we make that seven? Pretty please? ..... and the scorer of MKD's first goal was Izale McLeod

Good luck to everyone! .......... Stay safe and keep well! ............ And thanks for playing!