MK Dons host Harrogate Town at the Stadium MK on Saturday, with the home side going into the game as the favourites. Both managers will demand a victory, after the two sides have struggled at times this season.
Mk Dons
The Dons sit in 10th place in League two after nine games, which is a slightly poor start considering the fans will have dreamt about guaranteed promotion. Graham Alexander’s side started the season brightly with 12 points out of a possible 15, but the quality of their performances seem to have decreased in recent weeks. MK Dons haven’t struggled in front of goal, but they have been vulnerable at the back, only keeping one clean sheet so far, which did come at home.
Last time out, they faced Sutton United and the score line ended 1-1. The Dons dominated the ball, but didn’t create many chances, which is concerning considering how many set pieces they accumulated. They did show some fight however to bounce back after going a goal down in the first half.
Harrogate
The Sulphurites have had spells this season where they have shown signs of improvement and development, but they’ve also had some poor performances, which warrants their 18th place in the table. On the road, Harrogate have been inconsistent with their only win in five games coming on the opening weekend. They’ve also struggled in attack, scoring the joint lowest amount of goals this season, with a total of eight.
However, it seems that Simon Weaver has attended to his sides problems in front of goal in training, as Harrogate were victorious in their recent game against Salford, with a 3-2 win. Matty Daly was the creative spark and he made five key passes in the tie, he also registered two assists. The Suplhurites were 2-0 up by the 25th minute but let their lead slip just before the hour mark. There was a sense of disappointment amongst the crowd, but Abraham Odoh scored the winner in the 80th minute.
Verdict?
Mk Dons have been leaky at the back this season and all though Harrogate have been poor in attack, their recent victory may just give the attackers enough confidence to impact the game this weekend. The tie is too close to call, but the hosts should edge it.
The final prediction is MK Dons 2-1 Harrogate.
