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Three Milton Keynes Dons Supporters Talk To Vital Lincoln City

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The last time The Imps hosted tonight’s opponents Milton Keynes Dons was on Tuesday 11th February 2020, in front of a crowd of 7,783, including 224 away supporters. This match finished 1-1, with Rhys Healey giving the visitors the lead in the 3rd minute and Liam Bridcutt levelling the scoreline 19 minutes later.

Ahead of tonight’s match, we have done a Q&A with three Milton Keynes Dons supporters, so thank you to Dan, James and Alan for answering our questions (the answers were provided before the postponed match). The answers have been published on three pages. To get to the second and third set of answers, press “Click here for the next set of answers!” at the bottom right of the page.

If you would like to get involved with the conversation on 100% Imps, you can join our Lincoln City v Milton Keynes Dons Match Thread! We have also published a Lincoln City v Milton Keynes Dons Quiz, which can be found at the bottom of each page. Every page view helps raise money for Lincoln City Football Club!

First up, the answers provided by Dan:

How long have you supported Milton Keynes Dons?

My first Dons game was in 2006/07 in a 2-0 win over Shrewsbury at the old National Hockey Stadium.

Where did you finish last season?

19th on PPG.

What do you think of your manager?

When I did this feature last season, I said I was initially worried that we’d chosen the cheap option. I now have no worries whatsoever. What Russell Martin has done with the team to get them back to playing really good, possession-based football after a few years of boring, drab football, has been inspired. The fans feel connected to the club again and with Russ in charge, the only direction we are going is up. It took a while to get going which is why we are only 12th now, but with his record, in the transfer market we’ll be looking for a top 6 finish next season, I’m sure.

What are your hopes and expectations for the 2020/21 season?

I started off saying that so long as we survived as a club and stayed up, I would be happy. We’ve already exceeded that expectation so now I’m just happy to see out the rest of the season as positively as we can. While it’s unlikely, a play-off place isn’t out of reach just yet either…

One(s) to watch?

Josh McEachran has come in and settled really well and is a key reason that we’ve gone on a run of 4 wins in a row. Matt O’Riley has also really impressed since coming in in January, but the one to watch will be Harry Darling at centre back. What a player.

Which teams you think will finish in the top six in League One?

Top six is so tricky to predict, but if I had to name 6 teams then in no particular order I would guess at Hull, Sunderland, Peterborough, Lincoln, Portsmouth and Blackpool.

Which teams do you think will finish in the bottom four in League One?

Rochdale, Bristol Rovers, Northampton, and with any luck AFC.

What are your thoughts on Lincoln City?

I’m an anomaly among Dons fans because Lincoln are a team I always look out for. I lived in the city for three years and had a great time, going to a few important games in my time (I remember Oldham in the FA Cup run specifically for the fog that came down quickly in the last 10 minutes). I worked for the club for the first year back in the Football League too, so while our fanbases have a little bit of aggression towards one another for good reasons, personally Lincoln away will always be a game that I look forward to.

What do you think the score will be?

You’re on a bad run with a lot of injuries, we’re on an excellent run with an important player coming back into the squad in David Kasumu. Lincoln 1-2 MK Dons.

Random fact about your Club?

We are the record holders for the most consecutive passes before a goal with 56, finished off by a good Will Grigg strike.

If you could steal one Lincoln City player for your own team, who would it be and why?

It would be easy to say one of the defenders that you bought from us this season, but they left for a reason and they don’t fit the style as well. I’d probably say Tom Hopper to boost our striking numbers, but I can’t say I know more about him than the fact he scored against us earlier in the season.

What are your proudest and most embarrassing moments as a Milton Keynes Dons supporter?

Proudest moment is winning promotion to the Championship in 2015, that was just such an amazing day. Most embarrassing… I’ll change it up from last time and mention the time that Paul Tisdale brought on two defenders for attacking players when we were chasing a goal. Thanks, Tis for getting us promoted, but that was such a strange decision among many last season.

Who would you say is your most underrated player?

You bought my answer from last season in McGrandles, but this year I’d go with my close second Dean Lewington. He’s 36 years old and still one of our most important players. He’s also recently played his 800th game in an MK Dons shirt which is an incredible achievement no matter what you think of us.

Do you have a Supporters Trust and what role do they play at the Club?

We do, the MKDSA have been rebuilding and are finally back to being an important voice for the fans. They help out with projects such as Changing Places I think it’s called which has been important for disabled fans inside the stadium, as well as implementing a new bar for home fans which unfortunately only got a single game before lockdown last season. During lockdown they have hosted fans forums with club officials and match previews for fans.

Which was your favourite match involving Milton Keynes Dons?

Still the Manchester United win. That day is still being spoken about by the footballing world and will live long in the memory.

Which was your least favourite match involving Milton Keynes Dons?

My answer is still the same, but I’ll include another game this time. Losing 4-0 to Peterborough last season was tough to take.

Do you have a Former Players Association at Milton Keynes Dons?

We don’t, but we are still hiring former players in key roles behind the scenes. The latest of those is Dean Bowditch who is now a vital part of the Sports and Education Trust which is a massive benefit for the community.

What is the best thing about Milton Keynes?

The green spaces such as Willen Lake, and of course Stadium:MK.

Regan Poole seems to have divided opinion amongst some Lincoln fans. What is your take on him?

I liked him myself, but he isn’t a right-wing-back and the change in formation meant that he wanted to leave. I was surprised with the manner that it was announced, but we’ve brought in Ethan Laird who is better at the role on loan and with the transfer record of improving on literally everybody that has left us under his spell (Healey, Gilbey, Richard Keogh, Walsh, Poole, McGrandles etc.) I trust him to fill the space once again. That being said I did really like Poole and I’m sure given time he will do well for the Imps.

Have a go at our Lincoln City v Milton Keynes Dons Quiz below:

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Which side did MK Dons beat 1-0 on the final day of the 2018-19 season to secure immediate promotion back to League One?

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