2024/25 Prediction League Game 13 v MK Dons (away)

Div3North · 21-10-2024, 15:39

Milton Keynes Dons

V

Accrington Stanley

2024/25 Prediction League Game 13 v The Plastic Wombles (away)

Starter for Ten (and if anyone knows this, I’ll show me bum in Burtons’ window) ……you all know, of course, of Sheffield Wednesday (and Ruby Tuesday); but which other pro soccer team from our Fair Isles also had a day of the week as part of its name?

Three wins in a row: we’re now the form team in League Two, alongside Port Vale and Bratfud, with all three sides getting 9 points out of 9 ………….. and has anyone looked at the Bananarama table? Top seven sides are Barnet, Vegan Greenpeace, York, Gateshead, Oldham, Rochdale and Halifax, with Yeovil in 8th …………. all teams which, in their current or a former guise, were Football League sides ……….. there are another six in the Bnnrm, as well ……

MK Dons are currently 13th on 15 points from 12 games, above Harrogate and Newport on GD …. Record is P12 W4 D3 l5. They drew 2 and lost four of their first six, and they’ve won two, drawn 3 and lost one if their second six; wins over Carlisle, Walsall, Harrogate and Morecambe Gillingham and Walsall. Home stats show they’ve won 2, drawn 2 and lost two, with a +2 GD.

They’re now owned by a Kuwaiti-based Consortium headed by Fahad Al Ghanim, and managed by Scott Lindsay, former manager Mike Williamson having left for the vacant job at Carlisle (and likely wishes he hadn’t). Lindsay had been a journeyman player for numerous sides, the pinnacle of his career seemingly being 12 games for Gillingham and 46 for Canvey Island

The club was founded in 2004, following Wimbledon F.C.'s controversial relocation to Milton Keynes from south London, when it adopted its present name, badge and home colours. Initially based at the National Hockey Stadium, the club competed as Milton Keynes Dons from the start of the 2004–05 season, and moved to their current ground, Stadium MK, for the 2007–08 season, winning the League Two title and the Football League Trophy. After seven further seasons in League One, the club won promotion back to the Championship in 2015 under the management of Karl Robinson; however, they were GreasyPoled back to League One after one season.

Second Starter for Ten; TV host, compere, comedian and actor Bradley Walsh was, as you may know, on the books at Brentford (for whom he never played a senior game), and loaned out to Barnet, making – as far as I can see – his debut in the reserves (where I think he stayed); before retiring at 22 due to injury in 1982, he also played for another non-league side: which team was it? If it helps, they’re managed now by Luke Garrard, play their home games at Meadow Park, and reached the 5th Round of the FA Cup in 2021/22, beating AFC Wombles and AFC Bournemouth en route to a defeat by Everton ….

In 2022/23 the Dons hit the League Two Basement, managing to grab the last relegation spot from Cambridge (we, Morecambe and VGU all joined them); last season – their first back in the Basement – they ended the season fourth (P46 W23 D9 L14 GF83 GA68 with 78 points – 8 points below 3rd placed Mansfield and 7 points above Donnie and Crewe ………….. in the playoffs they met Crawley Town, and they contrived to lose by an aggregate score of 8-1 (3-0 away, 5-1 at home) ………… They sold four (two Irishmen, a Scot, and Max Dean, who went to KAA Gent in Belgium for £2million), and got rid of another six, including GK Michael Kelly (currently our reserve GK) and – blast from the past – Mohamed Eisa, who joined Iranian side Nassaji Mazandaran.

Third Starter for Ten; what was unique about the 2019/20 Championship (ie Tier 2)?

They bought/signed 12, including Tommy Leigh and Joe Pritchard from us, and Laurence Maguire (brother of Harry (Man U and England) and Joe (Glossop North End), AMF Connor Lemonheigh-Evans from Stockport and Salford’s Scottish striker Callum Hendry ………………. Tommy Leigh has played all 13 games (1 goal) and Joe Pritchard has seemingly played two in the League and one in the EFL Cup (a 5-0 stuffing by Watford)

Third Starter for Ten; what was unique about the 2019/20 Championship (ie Tier 2)?

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 7.45pm on Tuesday 22nd October; as the form team, against a side rocking a bit, we would expect to win this (Oh yeah?) and continue our surge up the League from our present position of 19th …………. And Sheffield Wednesday’s “compatriots” were, believe this or not, Abergavenny Thursdays Football Club; founded in 1927, they won the Welsh League title twice in the 1950s …… Founder members of the new League of Wales, they suffered an exodus of players and financial problems, being relegated at the end of the first season, and then seven more relegations in ten years, ending up in the Gwent County League Division 3 …….. they merged in 2013 with Govilon FC, and now play as Abergavenny Town ……..

And Bradley Walsh’s “other side” was Boreham Wood ……………and the unique factor to the 2019/20 Championship was that all the teams playing in it had, at some time previously, played in the top tier!

Good luck to everyone! ………. Keep the Faith! (Valairian, you might want to reconsider your PL strategy of betting against us every game) ………… And thanks for playing!

Tom D · 21-10-2024, 18:59

1 0 win for Stanley please

AccyMad · 21-10-2024, 20:55

2 - 1 to Stanley please

MikeA · 21-10-2024, 21:53

1-1 please

Kiwi John · 22-10-2024, 07:22

2-2 ta.

choirboy · 22-10-2024, 09:00

MK Dons 1-2 Stanley for me please.

Greger · 22-10-2024, 09:37

Fortunately for you, and for some otherwise unfortunate passers-by, I cannot prove that I knew that Abergavenny had a Thursday side.

As much as I would like to predict an away win, I cannot.
MK 3 Stanley 1