2007–08 Milton Keynes Dons F.C. season

Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
2007–08 season
Chairman Pete Winkelman
Manager Paul Ince
Stadium Stadium mk
League Two 1st (promoted)
FA Cup First round
League Cup Second round
League Trophy Winners
Top goalscorer League: Mark Wright (11)
All: Mark Wright (15)
Highest home attendance 17,250 v Morecambe,
League Two, 3 May 2008
Lowest home attendance 5,087 v Peterborough United,
League Trophy, 9 October 2007
Average home league attendance 9,456
Biggest win 5–0 v Accrington Stanley,
League Two, 8 December 2007
Biggest defeat 0–2 v Stockport County,
League Two, 27 October 2007
Home colours
Away colours
Third colours
← 2006–07 2008–09 →

The 2007–08 season was the fourth season of competitive association football in The Football League played by Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, a professional football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. Their fourth-place finish in 2006–07 and loss to Shrewsbury Town in the play-offs meant it was their second successive season in League Two. After the closure of the National Hockey Stadium this was the first season where the MK Dons played home fixtures at Stadium mk. The season ran from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008.

Paul Ince, starting his first season as Milton Keynes Dons manager, made nine permanent summer signings. After the eighth round of League Two fixtures the MK Dons reached first place and occupied this spot in thirty-seven of the remaining thirty-eight game weeks; they ended the season as champions of the twenty-four-team 2007–08 Football League Two. MK Dons also won their first national knockout competition, with a 2–0 victory over Grimsby Town at Wembley Stadium in the 2008 Football League Trophy Final. They lost in their opening round match in the 2007–08 FA Cup, and were eliminated in the second round of the Football League Cup.

Thirty-one players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were sixteen different goalscorers. Defender Dean Lewington missed only two of the fifty-five first-team matches over the season. Mark Wright finished as leading scorer with fifteen goals, of which thirteen came in league competition and two came in the Football League Trophy. Keith Andrews won the Football League Two Player of the Year Award.[1]

Background and pre-season

The 2007–08 season saw the Milton Keynes Dons move into Stadium mk.

The 2006–07 season was Martin Allen first season as manager of Milton Keynes Dons, after Danny Wilson was sacked at the end of the 2005–06 season for failing to save the club from relegation to League Two. Having been second come the start of 2007, the team finished in fourth-place in the 2006–07 Football League Two – one point below an automatic promotion place; this meant that the team participated in the League Two play-offs. MK Dons were beaten 2–1 on aggregate by Shrewsbury Town in the play-off semi-final. In May 2007 Allen moved on to manage Championship side Leicester City after both clubs had negotiated a compensation package.

Ahead of 2007–08, MK Dons released Adolfo Baines, Lee Harper, Junior Lewis, Nick Rizzo, Jamie Smith and Oliver Thorne. Players sold were Paul Butler to Chester City, Dominic Blizzard to Stockport County, Gary Smith to Brentford, Izale McLeod to Charlton Athletic and Clive Platt to Colchester United. Milton Keynes Dons made nine summer signings, those being goalkeepers Nathan Abbey from Brentford and Willy Guéret from Swansea City; defender Jude Stirling from Peterborough United; midfielders Colin Cameron from Coventry City, Luke Howell from Gillingham, Alan Navarro from Macclesfield Town and Mark Wright from Walsall; and forwards Drewe Broughton from Chester City and Kevin Gallen from Queens Park Rangers.

Summary and aftermath

Dean Lewington made the most appearances for the club in the 2007–08 season.

On 29 September 2007 Milton Keynes Dons reached first place and stayed there for the rest of the season except for one game week. The lowest position the club occupied was 19th after the first round of fixtures. For the first time in their history, the MK Dons had a better record away than at home in the league. The team won 18 matches, drew three and lost two away, compared to winning 11, drawing seven and losing five at home. Dean Lewington recorded the highest number of appearances during the season, appearing in 53 of the MK Dons' 55 matches. Mark Wright was the Dons' top scorer in the league and in all competitions, with 11 league goals and 15 in total. Three other players, Keith Andrews, Lloyd Dyer and Aaron Wilbraham, reached double figures.

As a result of their promotion the Milton Keynes Dons returned to Football League One after two seasons in League Two. Prior to the club's return to League One, the MK Dons released Drewe Broughton, Matt Carbon, Sam Collins, Liam Kelly, Jake Livermore and Kieran Murphy, while Mustapha Carayol, Lloyd Dyer and Gareth Edds left on their own accord for Torquay United, Leicester City and Tranmere Rovers. New players to join were midfielders Flavien Belson from FC Metz, Peter Leven from Chesterfield and Florian Sturm from FC Vaduz.

League table (part)

Paul Ince (pictured in 2006), won his first league title as a manager with the MK Dons in 2008.
Pos
 Team
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Pts
Promotion or relegation
1 Milton Keynes Dons (C) (P) 46 29 10 7 82 37+45 97 Promotion to 2008–09 League One
2 Peterborough United (P) 46 28 8 10 84 43+41 92
3 Hereford United (P) 46 26 10 10 72 41+31 88
4 Stockport County (O) (P) 46 24 10 12 72 54+18 82 Qualification to League Two playoffs
5 Rochdale 46 23 11 12 77 54+23 80
6 Darlington 46 22 12 12 67 40+27 78
7 Wycombe Wanderers 46 22 12 12 56 42+14 78
8 Chesterfield 46 19 12 15 76 56+20 69
9 Rotherham United 46 21 11 14 60 58+2 064*
10 Bradford City 46 17 11 18 63 61+2 62
11 Morecambe 46 16 12 18 59 63−4 60
12 Barnet 46 16 12 18 56 63−7 60
  • Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
  • (C) = Champion; (P) = Promoted.
  • * Rotherham United deducted 10 points for administration entrance.[2]

Match details

League positions are sourced by Statto,[3] while the remaining information is referenced individually.

Football League Two

FA Cup

Main article: 2007–08 FA Cup

Football League Cup

Football League Trophy

Appearances and goals

Source:[4][5][6]
Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute.
Players with names in italics and marked * were on loan from another club for the whole of their season with Milton Keynes Dons.
Players listed with no appearances have been in the matchday squad but only as unused substitutes.
Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward
Players included in matchday squads
No. Pos. Nat. Name League FA Cup League Cup League Trophy Total Discipline
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals A yellow rectangle, denoting the yellow penalty card shown to a player being cautioned A red rectangle, denoting the red penalty card shown to a player being sent off
1GK NGA Bankole, AdemolaAdemola Bankole 000000000000
2DF ENG Stirling, JudeJude Stirling* 21 (13)200203 (2)026 (15)280
3DF ENG Lewington, DeanDean Lewington 45010106053070
4MF IRL Andrews, KeithKeith Andrews 40 (1)1200004244 (1)14141
5DF GUI Diallo, DrissaDrissa Diallo 30200104035232
6DF ENG O'Hanlon, SeanSean O'Hanlon 41 (2)410106149 (2)570
7MF JAM Dobson, CraigCraig Dobson 100000001000
7MF SCO McGovern, Jon-PaulJon-Paul McGovern 2 (1)00021004 (1)100
8FW ENG Gallen, KevinKevin Gallen 15 (9)8101 (1)14021 (10)910
9MF GER Bastians, FelixFelix Bastians* 000000000000
9FW ENG Knight, LeonLeon Knight 15 (2)400110016 (2)550
10MF SCO Cameron, ColinColin Cameron 21 (8)30 (1)0004 (1)125 (10)410
11MF ENG Dyer, LloydLloyd Dyer 43 (2)11000 (2)03046 (4)1111
12GK FRA Guéret, WillyWilly Guéret 46000006052040
13DF AUS Edds, GarethGareth Edds 2 (5)0101 (1)00 (1)04 (7)010
14MF ENG Wright, MarkMark Wright 29 (5)13101 (1)03 (1)234 (7)1530
15FW ENG Broughton, DreweDrewe Broughton 2 (11)010112 (2)06 (13)100
16FW ENG Wilbraham, AaronAaron Wilbraham 28 (7)100 (1)01 (1)01 (1)030 (10)1030
17DF IRL Murphy, KieranKieran Murphy 1 (2)00020003 (2)010
18FW ENG Miles, JohnJohn Miles* 7 (5)00000007 (5)010
18FW ENG Taylor, ScottScott Taylor 0000000 (2)00 (2)000
19FW ENG Hastings, JohnJohn Hastings 000000000000
19DF ENG Regan, CarlCarl Regan 8 (1)10000008 (1)120
20MF ENG Navarro, AlanAlan Navarro 38 (1)310205046 (1)3130
21MF ENG Howell, LukeLuke Howell 8000102011020
22MF ENG Livermore, JakeJake Livermore* 0 (5)00000000 (5)010
22MF RSA Smart, BallyBally Smart* 0 (8)010001 (1)02 (9)000
23FW USA Johnson, JemalJemal Johnson 17 (22)511006224 (22)850
24DF ENG Carbon, MattMatt Carbon 0 (3)000000 (1)00 (4)000
25DF ENG Swailes, DannyDanny Swailes 404101051475100
26DF ENG Page, SamSam Page 000000000000
27DF ENG Collins, SamSam Collins 000000000000
28MF SCO Kelly, LiamLiam Kelly 000000000000
29GK ENG Abbey, NathanNathan Abbey 001020003000
30MF GAM Carayol, MustaphaMustapha Carayol 0000100 (1)01 (1)000
31GK ENG Walker, LaurieLaurie Walker 000000000000
32MF ENG Hadfield, JordanJordan Hadfield* 6 (7)00000006 (7)010
35DF ENG Chicksen, AdamAdam Chicksen 000000000000
36FW ENG Baldock, SamSam Baldock 0 (5)00 (1)0001 (2)01 (8)000

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Andrews appointed first-team coach". mkdons.com. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  2. ↑ "Rotherham go into administration". BBC Sport. 18 March 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  3. ↑ "Milton Keynes Dons 2007-2008 » Results". Statto Organisation. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "Milton Keynes Dons". FootballSquads. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  5. ↑ "Squad stats: 2007/08". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  6. ↑ "All Milton Keynes Dons football club players: 2008". AFS Enterprises Limited. Retrieved 9 June 2016.

External links

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