Match Preview
The last time Peterborough United visited Stadium MK with
Darren Ferguson at the helm it is fair to say things did not go to plan. A
tumultuous 3-0 defeat spelled the end of Darren Ferguson’s second spell in
charge. It capped the end of a reign which started with promotion, ironically
following a semi-final playoff victory against MK Dons but ended in long and
drawn out fashion, with Fergie clearly still haunted by the harrowing last
minute relegation from the Championship and cutting an increasingly gaunt
figure on the touchline.
Thankfully Darren Ferguson seems far more upbeat now having
registered the first win of his first full season back in charge. Acknowledging
his last visit to Stadium MK but insisting he was optimistic about his sides
prospects Fergie said: “I
am looking forward to it.”
“The last game against them the last time I
was here was when I ended up getting sacked after the match, so that was a sore
one, but it is always a great game against Milton Keynes.”
“I am sure we will take a great support as
we always do, and I thought we had a great support at Southend on Tuesday
night.”
“The Milton Keynes game is one we are
looking forward to, and some of the things we did on Tuesday, in fact a lot of
things in terms of our forward play which we did very well and will stand us in
good stead, but we need to improve on a few things as well.”
“It is a big, big pitch at Milton Keynes and
we have to make sure we look after that ball a bit better at times.”
MK Dons are likely to provide a much sterner test than
Southend did in Posh’s last match. They will be on a high having won two of
their three matches back in League One following a terrific promotion campaign
last time out. Posh can also expect large and vocal away support with more the 1400 tickets already sold for a match which has developed into quite a fierce rivalry since MK come were
founded 15 years ago. Whatever happens it should be a cracking match and Posh
will be hopeful they can build on a positive showing last time out.
View from the
Opposition
MK Dons gaffer Paul Tisdale believes Peterborough United
will provide his side with an early season benchmark on their progress so far
stating:
"We will always look at the characteristic
of a game because you need to understand the factors which may influence how
people feel. It will also be a good barometer for us because they were an
established League One team and a top contender"
"They have got a really potent and
creative strike-force so there’s a defensive challenge for us there, for sure.
It will be a good test for us.
Team News
Peterborough United are likely to field an unchanged side following
their first win of the season on Tuesday night and have no new injury concerns.
New signing Nathan Thompson could be pushing for his first appearance having
signed last week while midfielder Callum Cooke, who was yet to feature this
season has moved on loan to League Two promotion hopefuls Bradford City.
For MK Dons Ben Reeves will be side-lined through injury and
is not expecting to feature for the next two to three weeks. Defender Jordan Moore-Taylor
has returned to light training but is unlikely to feature while Joe Mason has a
long term hamstring injury. Midfielder Brennan Dickinson may feature having
returned to full fitness however having missed pre-season he is likely to be
included on the bench while Dons stalwart Dean Lewington may return to the
starting line up having been rested for the majority of the mid-week win at
home to Lincoln.
Stat Attack
·
Head to Head: Games Won 11 Games Drawn 3 Games Lost 11
· Posh Forwards Ivan Toney and Mo Eisa have both
scored in Posh’s last two matches
· No MK Dons player has notched more than one
league goal this season, although MK have played one game less than the Posh
after their opening day fixture away at Bury was postponed
·
Peterborough playmaker Marcus Maddison has
assisted all five Peterborough goals so far this season
· For betting fans, 6 of the last 7 meetings
between the sides have finished both teams to score no, with the exception
being the 3-3 Football League Trophy draw last time out
Editor’s Notes
Danger Man: Kieran
Agard scored 22 league goals last season and while he is yet to get off the
mark this season his goals will likely be essential to MK Dons over the course
of the season especially given Chuks Aneke’s high profile move to Charlton
Athletic.
Ones to Watch: Joe
Bowery was signed from Crewe to help fill the void left by Aneke’s
departure. Looks a big ask given the fact he scored 8 goals in 44 League 2
Matches last season but he already has one goal to his name this season so it
will be intriguing to see how he gets on this weekend.
Central defender Regan
Poole drew plenty of attention in the summer after a string of fine
performances for Newport County last season while on loan from Manchester
United. Having sealed a permanent move to MK Dons the Welsh U21 international could
be key to his side’s attempts to stop Peterborough’s potent strike force.
Score Prediction: 2-2
This fixture has only delivered 3 draws from 25 matches but I’m predicting
an open attacking game which ends in an exciting score draw from two sides who
will be hoping to be playoff contenders this season.
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