By Callum Burgess – @Calstagram123, head writer of the MK Fellas – @mkfellas
Milton Keynes Dons will be looking to bounce back against promotion rivals Crewe Alexandra after a disappointing 1-0 away loss to Grimsby Town on Tuesday.
Justin Obikwu’s lone strike in the 33rd minute was enough to earn the Mariners an impressive win that moved them six points clear of the relegation zone.
MK Dons fans took to social media to voice their concerns after their side only managed one shot on target despite having 79% possession over the full 95 minutes.
It could have been worse for the Dons when Michael Kelly gave away a penalty in the first half, but he spared his blushes by saving in the middle of the goal to prevent his side going into the break 2-0 down.
Mike Williamson stated his players were “angry and frustrated” after the loss but added the “build-up play was excellent” against a resolute Grimsby side.
Williamson’s team will look towards their next game against Crewe with high importance, with both sides currently sitting on 64 points.
With Crewe sitting in fourth with two more goal difference, it shows how close these two sides could be in their clash at StadiumMk on Saturday.
In the reverse fixture, the Railwaymen turned to stage a brilliant second-half
comeback against Graham Alexander’s team, who were top of the league before the game and beat them 3-1 after Jonathan Leko’s first-half opener.
After the game, Crewe sat in 11th place, so you can see how their side has truly elevated themselves to a team in and amongst the teams gunning for promotion.
With both teams having a lesser goal difference than Wrexham, a win would push them joint on points in 3rd if the Welsh side loses against Tranmere Rovers at the Racecourse.
When I write about the teams in these previews, I tend to look at BBC Sport’s top scorers and top assists to point out an obvious, strong point in the side, but there wasn’t a player that jumped out as their star player from the statistics.
Mickey Demetriou sits firmly in the Crewe defence after signing in 2023 from Newport County, where he had 258 appearances for the club.
Their attacking players, Charlie Kirk, Courtney Baker-Richardson, and Elliot Nevitt, are all great in their own right, with the latter scoring the winner in a 1-0 win over Sutton United in midweek.
It is worth noting their loan players, with goalkeeper Harvey Davies coming in from Liverpool and winger Aaron Rowe from Huddersfield Town, who grabbed an assist in the reverse fixture.
Their current manager, Lee Bell, has only coached at Crewe Alexandra, where he started in the youth set-up before working under Alex Morris as assistant manager.
Bell took charge of the club after 28-year veteran Alex Morris left the club to explore a new adventure in charge of Championship side Stoke City’s U23s side.
Taking charge of Alex Morris’ squad, he has shown his managerial qualities, and it is no surprise to see Crewe Alexandra pushing for an automatic promotion place.
Milton Keynes Dons Form
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Crewe Alexandra Form
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Team News
Crewe Alexandra have many injury issues, Courtney Baker-Richardson picking up a suspected shoulder dislocation in their 1-0 win against Sutton United. Lee Bell said that the striker will have a scan after he had to come off with his left arm in his shirt after 30 seconds.
Chris Long was assessed on Thursday to see if he could rejoin training at the
League Two side after suffering a thigh injury a month ago, with Lee Bell reporting he is “progressing well.”
Matus Holicek was left out of their midweek fixture with an ankle injury, much like their captain, Luke Offord, who is out injured for the rest of the season with an issue with his ankle ligaments. Jack Powell (knee) and Owen Lunt (back) will also remain
on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
There was some positive injury news for MK Dons this week, with Max Dean and Jack Tucker reported to return before the end of the season.
Assistant manager Ian Watson stated, “We’ve got Max (Dean) coming back in the next couple of weeks as well, and Tucks (Jack Tucker) too, which will be good problems for the gaffer. We’ll need that with the run-in, we need to have the freshest legs for each game.”
Joe Tomlinson was absent with an illness against Grimsby Town, but he may return to face Crewe Alexandra this weekend.
Milton Keynes Dons predicted lineup: Kelly, Norman, O’Hora, Harvie, Lofthouse, Payne, Bate, Tomlinson, Gilbey, Wearne, and Dennis.
Crewe Alexandra predicted lineup: Booth, Adebisi, Demetriou, Turns, Cooney, Austerfield, Thomas, Tracey, Rowe, Kirk, and Nevitt.
Prediction
After a disappointing loss against Grimsby Town, Milton Keynes have been known to bounce back with positive results, much like the side’s win against Mansfield Town.
Crewe Alexandra won’t be easy to beat when they travel to StadiumMK, and they will know they will stay above the Dons with a game in hand if they manage to avoid losing on Saturday.
MK Dons will need to dig deep to beat Crewe Alexandra, but both teams will likely cancel each other out in a tense match.
Prediction: Milton Keynes Dons 1-1 Crewe Alexandra
