Two minute guide to: Milton Keynes
In our regular pre-match feature, we take a brief look at our next opponents – Milton Keynes (we won’t add that last word as it really belongs to another club – Wimbledon)…
Team news
Adam Yates: injury doubt
Vale have a couple of injury problems with reliable right-back Adam Yates suffering with a back problem and Rob Taylor picking up a thigh injury. If Yates is unable to make it, one of Liam Chilvers or Dan Jones will come into the side. We think Jones will be favourite with Richard Duffy moving into the right-back position.
Dele Alli and Luke Chadwick both miss out for the home side who could welcome Antony Kay back into their starting line-up.
Possible Vale starting XI:
Johnson
Duffy Robertson Dickinson Jones
Myrie-Williams Griffith Lines Birchall
Pope Tomlin
Pre-match quotes
Mark Grew: looking forward to the match
“The Gaffer watched them a couple of weeks ago and Dean Glover watched them against Wolves last week and from the report he sent back, they are a good footballing side. They try to play it the right way – have it at the back and pass it around and it will be a real test for us, but it’s one we are looking forward to. It’s a lovely ground, a lovely setting, the pitch is in great condition so it is one I’m one I am looking forward to and seeing how the lads progress.”
– Mark Grew
“They are quite a steady team who like to pass the ball around so it is our job to stop them so we have to do all we can to try and annoy and frustrate them.”
– Chris Robertson
“Micky Adams is a manager you’ve got to look up to and respect, his experience is so vast. That’s the one thing I’m still lacking, that experience of being around for so many years, and it’s something he’s got so it’s something I can learn and watch how he conducts himself.”
– Karl Robinson
Current Form
(recent games first)
Port Vale:
D-W-W-L-W
Milton Keynes:
W-W-L-L-L
The men in charge
Port Vale:
Micky Adams
Age:
52
Time in charge:
2009-10, 2011 to present
Games in charge:
208 (W: 90, D: 57, L: 61)
Honours:
Promotion 2012, manager of the month (Sept 2010 and Sept 2012)
Memorable quote:
“We looked like a woman who had a big fur coat on but underneath she’s got no knickers on.” (following a run of three defeats in 2009)
Milton Keynes:
Karl Robinson
Age:
33
Time in charge:
2012 to present
Games in charge:
192 (W: 88 D: 46 L: 58)
Honours:
League play-offs 2011
Memorable quote:
“It’s not got a lot of history this football club, but we are making it on a regular basis and I really want to be a part of that history.”
Head-to-head
Last time we met
The Valiants won 3-1 at Vale Park back in 2006 with Leon Constantine (two) and Micky Cummins on the scoresheet.
Overall record
- Vale wins: 2
- Milton Keynes wins: 0
- Draws: 2
The last time we…
Lost at Milton Keynes is… never! However, we are also yet to record a win having drawn on both our previous meetings
Did you know…
Only five Vale players – Micky Cummins, Leon Constantine, Lee Matthews, Steve Brooker and Ian Armstrong have scored against Milton Keynes. However, both Constantine and Armstrong have struck twice.
The last Vale team to face Milton Keynes was:
- Mark Goodlad
- Marc McGregor
- George Pilkington
- Clayton Fortune
- Craig James
- Micky Cummins
- Danny Sonner
- Sam Togwell
- Jeff Smith
- Leon Constantine
- Nathan Lowndes
Connections
Chris Lines: spent a spell on loan in Milton Keynes
Chris Lines played eighteen games on loan for Milton Keynes during the 2012-13 season. He clearly made an impression on manager Karl Robinson who said ahead of this weekend’s game: “Chris Lines –for example – is somebody who I’d have loved to have had here permanently because I rate him very highly.”
Other players to appear for both sides include:
Midfielders Jay O’Shea and Dominic Blizzard
Brief Blizzard
Jim Gannon signing Blizzard had one of the briefest loan spells in Vale’s history. Arriving on the 18th Jan 2011, he played in the defeat to Accrington on the 19th, and left on the 21st after Gannon was sacked.
Trivia
Some stadium facts:
- Stadium:MK was opened in 2007 by HM the Queen.
- Its capacity is 30,500 although that could be increased to over 40,000 if a third tier is added
- The stadium will host 3 matches in the World Cup – that is, the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup
- The plans originally included an adjoining indoor arena but this is yet to be constructed.
- On 5 June 2010, the stadium hosted a full international friendly as Ghana beat Latvia 1-0 in a friendly (surely you must remember it!)
Some city facts:
- Milton Keynes hosts the headquarters of the Open University
- Marshall guitar amps are made in Bletchey, one of Milton Keynes’ towns
Concrete cows have long been a feature in Milton Keynes and the club’s mascot (pictured here in 2006) is called ‘Mooey’.