The Dons are finally back playing at Stadium MK, this time facing off against Championship side Portsmouth. It was an intriguing game against a squad that won League One last season and The Dons did well to neutralise such strong opposition, coming from behind to draw 1-1. Here’s how I rated the players after the action concluded at Stadium MK:
Formation: 5-4-1/5-2-2-1 (Two holding midfielders and two attacking midfielders)
GK – Tom McGill – 7.5: A very promising performance from The Dons’ new number one. He didn’t have too many saves to make but he made all of them comfortably as well as one big save at the end of the game. McGill looked fantastic on the ball and wasn’t fazed even when Portsmouth players were closing him down. Every time he was able to pick his pass effortlessly, only misplaying one or two long range passes. He even started a couple of attacking moves. McGill played with a certain confidence that radiated positive energy onto his defence in front of him.
RWB – Callum Tripp – 7: Notably, Tripp was the only outfield player to last the entire 90 minutes. He put a shift in at wingback and though he did get caught out of position a couple of times, he was usually able to recover. His composure on the ball was particularly impressive and he did nearly break through at the other end of the pitch on a couple of occasions. Unfortunately Tripp’s best effort on goal was tame and wide of the mark. The youngster moved to right centre-back when Pritchard came on and from that point on Tripp found another level. He made countless blocks and challenges, winning a number of headers as well. A very impressive performance for a 17 year old.
RCB – Sam Sherring – 7: Partially at fault for Portsmouth’s goal, giving former Don Josh Murphy far too much space to get his shot away. Murphy’s effort deflected off Sherring, giving McGill no chance of saving it. From there Sherring started to improve. He looked solid in defence making some important challenges whilst also showing his on the ball ability. Sherring tried a couple of long balls that very nearly came off. Sherring made way for Joe Pritchard after 64 minutes. Tripp moved to right centre-back to accommodate this change.
CB – Luke Offord – 8 (TOP DON): A standout player from the very beginning. Offord cut out plenty of Portsmouth attacks and read the game brilliantly. Whilst in possession he looked incredibly comfortable even when Portsmouth attempted to press Dons in awkward positions. Offord moved up into holding midfield in the second half and carried on playing the ball about nicely until he was withdrawn after 64 minutes for Liam Kelly.
LCB – Laurence Maguire – 7.5: A quiet but strong performance from Maguire, keeping the Portsmouth attack quiet with little fuss. He played the ball about well and was sometimes able to push up onto the left wing to help Dons rotate the ball about the pitch effectively. Maguire came off after 64 minutes for Dean Lewington.
LWB – Joe Tomlinson (C) – 7.5: Suffered with lack of service for a lot of the first half though he got himself into some good positions. Tomlinson stepped it up in the second half and made a fantastic inward run that enabled the wingback to shoot, forcing a big save out of the Portsmouth keeper. He did his defensive duties well, winning a number of aerial battles. Tomlinson came off after 64 minutes for Stephen Wearne.
CM – Tom Carroll – 7: A very hard player to give a rating to. Carroll gave the ball away with a stray pass for Portsmouth’s goal in the second minute but his performance improved significantly after that. He was regularly able to play out from the back, often playing sneaky passes around the corner to break through Portsmouth’s defensive lines. Carroll did nearly make another mistake at the back in the second half when he tried to turn his man but took a loose touch. He ended up having to wipe out a second Portsmouth player with a rogue challenge to prevent a counter-attack resulting in a yellow card for the midfielder. He clearly has quality but just has to be slightly sharper playing in deep areas. Carroll made way for Keon Lewis-Burgess after 83 minutes.
CM – MJ Williams – 5: Williams simply doesn’t suit the system Mike Williamson wants to play. He’s clumsy on the ball and a lot of his passes were unnecessarily negative. After a few poor errors in the opening stages Williams did start to settle and maintain possession, but his presence seemed to upset Dons’ flow in the middle of the park. He came off at half-time for Jack Tucker with Offord stepping out of defence to accommodate this change.
RAM – Tommy Leigh – 7.5: Leigh was someone that needed a good game after his performance against Wealdstone. He started slow playing on the right but did grow into the game gradually, even more so after switching flanks with Conor Grant. Leigh started to contribute to more and more attacks, eventually earning the reward of an equaliser with a well-struck effort into the bottom corner. This made it 1-1 after 62 minutes. He was withdrawn immediately afterwards in favour of Alex Gilbey.
LAM – Conor Grant – 6.5: Was a passenger for a lot of the first half, lacking the consistency to make a real difference. With this being said, Grant did start to find his rhythm as the game went on, contributing to attacking moves and dropping in deeper to collect the ball. He won a couple of free-kicks with his sharp turns forcing Portsmouth players to bring him down. Grant came off after 64 minutes for Ellis Harrison.
ST – Callum Hendry – 6.5: Hendry did a lot of running and chasing for little reward. He was provided little service for most of the first half. When the ball did come his way he was often able to flick the ball on to a teammate to keep the attack going, but he needed more of the midfield to make runs in behind for this to be effective. Hendry did nearly get a chance on goal but his heavy first touch let him down. His first touch was inconsistent when it came to trying to keep the ball for himself, though more often than not he had the speed to be able to hold onto it before a Portsmouth player could dispossess him. Hendry came off at half-time for Matt Dennis.
SUB (CB) – Jack Tucker – 7: Looked a little shaky to begin with but in the end Tucker had a very solid game. He won his aerial battles, made some vital clearances and played the ball out well from the back. Tucker did look a little exposed on his left side though that was more down to a poor performance from Lewington giving Tucker more work to do.
SUB (ST) – Matt Dennis – 7: Though Dennis’ scoring streak is over, the striker still played well. He tested the Portsmouth keeper with a couple of shots. He did technically score one but the whistle had already gone because Dennis had pulled back a Portsmouth player to reach the ball first. His hold-up play was solid and he was able to carry the ball forwards a few times, getting Dons into some fantastic positions.
SUB (RWB) – Joe Pritchard – 7.5: Pritchard was another player that needed to step up after Wealdstone and it’s fair to say he did! He was tough with his tackling, preventing plenty of crosses from coming into the box. Pritchard was also quick getting forward and contributed well to attacking moves. He did set up a major chance for Harrison but unfortunately the ball was judged to have been out of play before Pritchard got the ball across. Interestingly Pritchard has been given the No.2 shirt which would suggest that he’s going to be used primarily as a wingback, despite being signed as an attacking midfielder.
SUB (LCB) – Dean Lewington – 4.5: The weak link in the defence, looking sluggish and unconvincing in comparison to the rest of the team. There’s no doubt Lewington has the mind to keep performing to the right standard, but he might not be fit enough to be able to keep up against strong opposition. He did have some good moments but these were few and far between. Not an awful performance, but a concerning one.
SUB (LWB) – Stephen Wearne – 7.5: Wearne looked incredibly sharp on the left wing, getting stuck in at the back whilst contributing to the attacks. He was often able to get the ball in advanced areas and he did manage to force a big save out of the Portsmouth keeper. Wearne did have another attempt on goal that was blocked, though he probably should’ve passed it to his teammate instead.
SUB (CM) – Liam Kelly – 7: He did make a few mistakes in possession but his quality still shone through for the most part. Kelly picked out a couple of fantastic forward passes to send Dons on their way and he was able to dictate the tempo of play alongside Carroll. He got stuck in where required and broke down play well but he’s capable of more than this performance suggests.
SUB (RAM) – Ellis Harrison – 6.5: Interestingly Harrison still hasn’t played any minutes as a striker this pre-season and he did take a bit of time to grow into the game. As time went on he started to get more involved and hold the play up more, asking different questions of the Portsmouth defenders. He had little to do in the final third though.
SUB (LAM) – Alex Gilbey – 7: Gilbey battled well with his usual grit and determination. He contributed to the build-up play, working well with the likes of Wearne and Dennis to work the ball into the final third. Gilbey did have one effort on goal but it was tame and easily saved by the keeper.
SUB (CM) – Keon Lewis-Burgess – 6.5: Lewis-Burgess looked lively in his cameo appearance. He didn’t have much time to do anything but he pressed well and kept energy levels high.
TEAM PERFORMANCE – 7.5: This was an impressive performance against a strong team. The Dons may have been hit with a setback early but aside from this Williamson’s men kept Portsmouth’s chances to a minimum. The away side started stronger but Dons grew into the game and by the end of it Portsmouth were barely able to keep up with some of the fast tempo passing on display. It’s noticeable how efficiently this team is able to get from back to front quickly at times and it’s clear that most of this squad possesses fantastic technical ability.
With this being said it takes a certain confidence to play this way so the real test will be how Dons maintain this positive style of play when the side have endured setbacks and all that matters is the three points. The biggest highlight has to be Tom McGill. He’s yet to be tested properly on his shot-stopping but his ball-playing is far superior to any of last season’s keepers. There could also be room in the first team for Callum Tripp. To play out of position for the entire game and not look out of place against Championship opposition as a 17 year old is bonkers. He deserves a chance this season and when he does get one, expect him to take it. Next up it’s Plymouth who should provide another good test ahead of the opening game against Bradford.
If you’ve read this far then thank you! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the game in the comments below and I hope you enjoyed the read.
