Many thanks to Morecambe fan Tom Collins for our last home game of the season proper, its always good to get an oppostion view on things, a reality check for us fans living in the MK bubble.
1 – Do your pre-season expectations for your team match the reality of where you are in the League 1 table?
My hope for this year was to be competitive and give ourselves a chance of surviving. We’d lost our promotion-winning manager, Derek Adams (who has now returned as manager) and had lost all but three of our promotion winning side. We also operate on one of the lowest budgets in the league so to rebuild a whole squad and still be within a good chance of survival is a huge achievement. Fingers crossed we can finish the job now!
2 – With less than a month left in the fixtures calendar, where do you see your club ending up in the League 1 table, and in the same manner where do you think the MK Dons will finish up?
As of writing, we are with two games to go and sat in 19th place and I believe we’ll finish either 19th or 20th. Perhaps controversially for you, I believe you’ll finish 3rd as I think Rotherham will have enough when it counts to get over the line. Sorry!
3 –The playoff picture is still very confused, who do you see going up as of right, and the four clubs to make the playoffs, and indeed the playoff winners?
This is incredibly hard to pick! I would guess MK Dons, Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth, and Sunderland. I believe Wednesday to go up in the playoffs as they have the momentum and they’re playing with a lot of confidence.
4 – At the other end of the table the race for survival is also on, who do you think will get relegated?
Gillingham, Wimbledon, Doncaster, and Crewe
5 – Who for you is the best player in League 1?
There’s a good few candidates, but I’d probably go for Barry Bannan or Scott Twine. Both are magicians and have no right to be in League One.
6 – Who are the best and worst teams you have played this season?
Sunderland, MK Dons, Wigan and Rotherham have been the best. Sunderland tore us apart 5-0 at the Stadium of Light in one of our least competitive performances of the season. You beat us 4-0, despite us playing OK but you were mercilessly brutal with our defensive mistakes. Wigan were systematic and ground us down. Rotherham in the game at The Mazuma were a slick impressive outfit, although only beat us 1-0.
Doncaster were the worst side this season. Somehow, we lost the away game 1-0 which may say just as much about us at the time. At home, they threw away a 3-goal lead to lose 4-3. What was most alarming was how some of their players seemed to down tools at 3-1 up and seemed more focused on getting sent off.
7 – All fans love an away day; can you tell us the best and worst grounds you have visited and why?
With being an overseas fan up until March this year, I’m not best placed to comment on this. I’ve been to Plymouth, Bolton, Shrewsbury, and Wigan in that time with Plymouth being the most enjoyable for the whole match day experience and general surroundings after the game.
8 – Can you tell us the style of play we can expect to see from your team?
We’ll play a low possession-based game – likely to be 4-1-2-3 – and look to create chances by breaking quickly on the counter with sharp direct passes.
9 – Can you give us a player from each team that you feel will have the greatest influence on the result of the game?
Cole Stockton and Scott Twine.
10 – Thanks for taking part, all we need now is your prediction for the game?
2-2
