Saturday 20 January sees us make the journey south to face Milton Keynes Dons in a Sky Bet League Two clash.
Morecambe will be aiming to build on a solid performance against high-flyers Mansfield Town when they make the trip to Stadium MK to face MK Dons for the second time in four weeks.
The Shrimps battled hard at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium when they faced the Stags, and a Charlie Brown goal granted them a well-earned point against a Mansfield side who will be backed by many as automatic promotion contenders.
In their weekend fixture, MK Dons travelled to Merseyside to face Tranmere Rovers. After an early Alex Gilbey goal for the visitors was cancelled out by a Kieron Morris equaliser for Tranmere, the spoils looked set to be shared, until a 96th minute winner from Dons forward Ellis Harrison brought the three points back to Milton Keynes.
The two sides last faced each other four weekends ago, on Saturday 23 December. JJ McKiernan’s equaliser just after half-time to cancel out Max Dean’s opener for the Dons was not enough for the Shrimps, as a Joe Tomlinson strike and Max Dean’s second gave MK Dons a 3-1 victory at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium. Saturday’s hosts have had the better of the results in recent times, with the Shrimps’ last victory over MK Dons coming in March 2019.
The Opposition
Since their visit to the Mazuma Mobile Stadium in December, MK Dons have won three of their four games, lifting them into the Sky Bet League Two play-off positions. 12 wins, six draws, and seven losses earning Mike Williamson’s side 42 points and seventh position in the standings.
Williamson has been at the helm at Stadium MK since October of this year. He took the head coach position after a four-year spell at Gateshead FC.
Key Players
Max Dean tops the scoring charts for the Dons, his brace at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium making up a part of his 11 goals in all competitions this season. The 19-year-old joined the club from Leeds United in last year’s January transfer window.
Midfielder Alex Gilbey has been an important feature for the Dons so far this season, both netting and providing his fair share of goals. Since making the move to Stadium MK in the summer, the 29-year-old has contributed to 10 goals – five scored, five assisted.
The Man in the Middle
Marc Edwards will don black at Stadium MK on Saturday afternoon, taking charge for the 16th time this season. In his previous 15, Edwards has brandished one red card and 69 yellows.
The referee officiated three Shrimps fixtures last season, most recently in April 2023 when Plymouth Argyle visited the Mazuma Mobile Stadium.
Declan O’Shea and Alex Bradley will run the line at Stadium MK, with Jacob Miles completing the officiating team as the fourth official.
Ged Brannan’s Pre-Match Thoughts
Morecambe manager Ged Brannan spoke on the return of Assistant Manager John McMahon.
“It’s a great boost for him to come back,” he said. “He is a great bonus for the club, to come here and get around the players again.”
He went on to speak about the challenge ahead.
“I can’t wait, Mansfield on Saturday must have been delighted to get out of here with a point,” he remarked.
“Looking at the performance, I was absolutely delighted with it. We are going to take that into Saturday and we’re going there to get three points. We’re not going there to sit back and defend; we’re going to get straight at them.”
“We’re full of confidence going into Saturday. We will take a gameplan there and hopefully we can stop them from playing.”
Team News
Goalkeeper Stu Moore, defender Donald Love, and midfielder JJ McKiernan remain sidelined with their respective injuries.
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