Milton Keynes Dons travel to Blundell Park on Tuesday to face a Grimsby Town side fighting to avoid relegation this season.
Grimsby Town have struggled for wins in this League Two campaign, winning seven out of their 35 games, but they are a team that loves a draw, sharing the points in 14 different games this season.
Currently sitting five points above the relegation zone, the Mariners have only lost one in their last five games in a 5-1 loss at home to Doncaster Rovers, picking up a 1-0 win against fellow relegation rivals, Forest Green Rovers.
Their main threat will come from their striker, Danny Rose, who scored 14 goals and assisted seven in 36 games this season.
Their last result was a 1-1 draw against Sutton United, who scored an 88th-minute penalty after Justin Obikwu’s opening goal in the first half. A win would have moved Grimsby Town seven points clear of the relegation places, which could have proved enough to keep them in League Two next season.
Gavan Holohan took to Twitter after the game to comment on the penalty decision, stating it was “a truly embarrassing call to make in a game of huge importance.”
David Artell is the current manager of Grimsby Town, best known for his stint at Crewe Alexandra. After saving the side from relegation, he got Crewe promoted to League One but couldn’t keep his side up in the following season before eventually being replaced by Alex Morris.
Milton Keynes Dons will be raring to go against his side after a 3-1 win against Salford City last weekend. Despite going 1-0 down to a Matt Smith goal, Mike Williamson’s side scored three goals in the first half to grab all three points in their search for promotion back to League One.
The Dons will be hoping to keep this winning streak to put pressure on the teams above them in the automatic promotion spots, and they will also face 5th-placed Crewe Alexandra at StadiumMK on Saturday in a promotion six-pointer.
Grimsby Town have already taken a point from MK Dons this season when they drew 1-1 at StadiumMK in what was David Artell’s first game in charge of the Mariners.
Jack Payne’s second-half equaliser put the sides level after 66 minutes, but neither team could score that second goal to take all three points.
Since that game in November 2023, MK Dons have moved from 11th place up to fourth, earning 37 points in the process.
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Team News
Stephen Wearne came off the bench for Matt Dennis in their 3-1 win against Salford City after being absent for the 2-1 win away at Mansfield Town, which suggests that the former Gateshead player is now back to full strength and could be in contention to start against Grimsby Town.
Wearne and Dan Kemp were dropped to the bench in their last game and replaced by Dennis and Emre Tezgel, with the latter scoring his first goal for the club since joining on loan from Championship side Stoke City.
Although this was a tactical change, it is encouraging to see how MK Dons still have so much attacking threat even without these two very creative players, but they should be back in the starting eleven to face Grimsby Town.
These were the only changes from the win against Mansfield Town, with MJ Williams keeping his place in the backline over Cameron Norman, who was present in MK Dons’ last loss in League Two.
There are still long-lasting injuries to Filip Marschall, Jack Tucker, and Max Dean, with no indication of when they could return to the squad.
Milton Keynes Dons predicted lineup: Kelly, Williams, O’Hora, Harvie, Lofthouse, Bate, Payne, Tomlinson, Gilbey, Wearne, and Kemp.
Grimsby Town predicted lineup: Cartwright, Hume, Rodgers, Tharme, Mullarkey, Thompson, Holohan, Obikwu, Green, Clifton, and Rose.
Prediction
This game should be a routine win for Milton Keynes Dons when they travel to Blundell Park, but I have a sneaky suspicion the side could struggle against Grimsby Town.
They are coming off the back of a 1-1 draw against Sutton United, where Holohan was so aggrieved with the decision that he took to social media to voice their concerns. The side will be angry and hoping to bounce back with a result against a high-flying MK Dons side.
This fixture could go either way for Mike Williamson’s side, who will likely have to face a low block from David Artell’s Grimsby Town for long periods in this match.
The quality of the Milton Keynes Dons players should eventually shine through here, and it will prove too much for Grimsby to deal with in the end.
Prediction: Milton Keynes Dons 1-0 Grimsby Town
