Port Vale v Milton Keynes preview – one win in ten, can Valiants end a worrying sequence?
It’s just one win in ten games as the Darrell Clarke’s side take on a struggling Milton Keynes side at Vale Park…
Predict the score
Pre-match thoughts
The views of loanee Aaron Donnelly:
Preamble
It was another frustrating ninety minutes last Saturday when the Valiants took an early lead only for Bolton to score twice and take all three points. It means Vale have won just once in ten games and they will be keen to pick up three points at home against one of the division’s struggling sides.
Port Vale team news
There will be plenty of questions following the battling loss to Bolton. Will Vale keep faith with Aidan Stone despite criticism for his part in the winning goal – or will loanee Jack Stevens be recalled? It may make sense to keep faith with Stone as he’s a young Vale player, rather than a loanee, it makes more sense to give Stone gametime.
Matty Taylor linked up well with Ellis Harrison upfront so it’s likely that the pairing will continue upfront.
Left wingback continues to be an issue – will Mal Benning be recalled to the starting eleven or will Darrell Clarke opt for one of Sammy Robinson or Gavin Massey to play there?
Opposition team news
Long-serving Dean Lewington is out with a hamstring injury while Anthony Stewart and Warren O’Hora also remain sidelined.
Dawson Devoy, Nathan Holland and Will Grigg could come into contention after making positive impacts off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Lincoln City.
Form guide
It’s been five games since the visitors last won and Vale will be hoping to extend that run on Saturday…
Port Vale: L-L-W-L-L
Milton Keynes: D-L-L-L-D
Man in charge
45 year-old Mark Jackson took over as head coach after the departure of Liam Manning. Jackson was appointed on the 23rd December and has three wins from thirteen games in charge.
Familiar faces
The MK Dons squad features Zak Jules who enjoyed a disappointing loan spell with the Valiants back in 2018. Signed on loan by then manager Neil Aspin, he was dropped after three appearances. However, Jules put his career back on track with strong spells at Macclesfield Town and Walsall, earning a move to MK Dons in 2021.
Vintage connection
Defensive midfielder Antony Kay spent four years with Milton Keynes between 2012 and 2016 helping the club to promotion in 2015. In total, Kay made 161 appearances for the side. In 2017, Kay was signed by Michael Brown for the Valiants where he made 70 appearances before his release in 2019.
Through the years…
We don’t agree with MK Dons co-opting Wimbledon FC’s history, so for us the first meeting between the two sides took place in August 2004 when it finished in a 3-2 victory for the Valiants with Ian Armstrong scoring twice.
Last time we met…
It ended in a 2-1 away defeat for the Valiants earlier in the season. Ellis Harrison was on target with a late consolation goal for the Valiants.
From the archives
A brief history of…
MK Dons were created in 2004 and (much to this website’s displeasure and that of many other fans) took over the fixtures and adopted the history of Wimbledon FC.
Owner Pete Winkleman initially refused to counter any idea of the club handing Wimbledon’s history and trophies back to phoenix club AFC Wimbledon with Winkleman bizarrely arguing that AFC Wimbledon had betrayed their club and “left their team before their team left them.”
However, in 2007, after an increasing number of fans protests and talks with the Football Supporters Federation, MK Dons finally agreed to “recognise and genuinely regret the hurt which was caused to supporters of the former Wimbledon FC by the move to Milton Keynes.” The club renounced any claim to Wimbledon FC’s history up to 2004 and transfer the Wimbledon FC trophy replicas, copyrights, web domain names and other patrimony to Merton Borough.
Initially based at the National Hockey Stadium, MK Dons moved to its current stadium in 2007. The club has won promotion three times during its brief history.
Were you paying attention?
Our traditional quiz…
- Who is the current Milton Keynes manager?
- What was the score the last time the two teams met?
- In which year were the club formed?
- When did the two sides first play each other?
Answers below (no cheating)…
Quiz answers…
- Mark Jackson
- Milton Keynes 2-1 Port Vale
- 2004
- 2004