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The
Bucks stops here
Milton Keynes Dons
v Darlington
Coca-Cola League Division
Two
Saturday September
22nd 2007, 3pm
Sam Russell in action in the 1-0 defeat at MK last season.
 As the MK Dons move to their new stadium, they have to get over the blow of losing in the play-off semi-finals
and the departure of manager Martin Allen to Leicester.
With the building of a 30,000-seater
stadium (where have we seen that before?) for next season, the controversial
franchised club can't afford to linger here for long.
Paul Ince has been given the task of getting them there, after managing
to keep Macclesfield up last season. There aren't many football fans though
who care less about this club, and the methods which brought it where
it is, and many will be hoping for its continued demise. The Dons have
lost goal scorers Izale McCloud and Clive Platt but the likes of Leon
Knight - who arrived from Swansea City - give the side some firepower.
Man
to watch
Kevin Gallen - ex-QPR striker with vast experience, asked to fill the gap left by outgoings.
LAST SEASON:
CONCRETE COWS, PLASTIC FANS
Our play-off hopes, to all but the giddy optimists among
us, are now over. We were beaten, a little unluckily, by MK Dons, who
themselves had all but given up hope of automoatic promotion and you presumed
were saving a little in the tank for the play-offs.
 Milton Keynes is like
an artist's impression of a poor man's sci-fi movie, dreamed up in the
1960s and set in a featureless, low-rise concrete landscape of a "futurist"
1980s, a la Gerry Anderson's UFO. The National Hockey Stadium houses
their football team, who are a completely invented, franchise team of
course, befitting a new town. (We all know there are lots of far more
elegant towns, with football teams of more notable histories, who are
still fighting their way up the football pyramid - Redditch Utd for example).
So a fake team has its new supporters - presumably disenfranchised (to
coin the phrase) Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal and Man Utd fans, who live locally
and now wear the Dons' shirt. It will soon have its 30,000 "white
elephant." One day they may know really what it's like to scrap and
scramble for survival. But if they had to suffer the consequences, they
would presumably go to one of MK's many retail outlets on a Saturday afternoon.
We are a team in transition and looking like we can't wait for the season
to end. Neither 'keeper was stretched much. Rory Prendergast looked quite
useful, Julian Joachim had his moments and we were a lot tidier at the
back than against Chester the other week. The MK goal came from the head
of veteran Clive Platt.
© Photos: Ted Blair/Northern Echo
Full match preview on the
D@rlo Uncovered website.
Tickets for visiting fans at the
new
stadium are in the North Stand - currently lower tier only. In advance
from Darlington FC they are £15 adults, £11 concessions (students/OAPs)
and £7 juniors. Under sevens are free. On the day, tickets must be
bought from the ticket booth (gate 3, cash only) or from the main box
office (gates 6 and 7)
MK
Dons FC:
 Stadium
MK, Stadium Way West, Denbigh, nr Bletchley, MK1 1ST
Bucks, Tel: 01908 607 090; 01908 609 000
(ticket office)
History:
Controversially formed in 2002 as English football's first - and
we can hope, only - "franchise" club when the old Wimbledon
FC was moved to Buckinghamshire. The original Dons' history does
not belong with this club, who have been on a downward curve since
starting in the Championship. They survived a period of administration,
changed the name to MK Dons in 2004. They have a reputation for
cultivating good young players, although they dispensed with Danny
Wilson as manager after relegation to the bottom division, while
successor Martin Allen moved on after a season.
Record Attendance: 8,306 v Spurs, 2006 (Nat Hockey Stadium)
Capacity: 22,,000
Last season: 4th (play off semi-finals)
Honours:
None
Record victory: 4-1, Bradford City, Feb 2005
Defeat: 0-6, Nottingham Forest, Oct 2003
Nicknames: The Dons
Colours: White
Manager: Paul Ince
Chairman: Pete Winkelman
Players in: Nathan Abbey (Brentford), Dominic Blizzard (Watford), Drewe Broughton (Chester), Colin Cameron (Coventry), Mustapha Carayol (Swindon), Kevin Gallen (QPR), Willy Gueret (Swansea), Luke Howell (Gillingham), Alan Navarro (Macclesfield),
Mark Wright (Walsall)
Players out: Izale McLeod (Charlton, £1.1m), Clive Platt (Colchester, £300,000), Ben
Harding, Lee Harper, Nicky Rizzo, Gary Smith, Adolfo Baines, Ben
Chorley (Tranmere), Gary Smith (Brentford) and Jamie Smith.
Famous fans/connections:
Click for Streetmap of ground |
Anything worth
adding? Please e-mail us
any suggestions.
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A roundabout way: The ground is just to the north
of Bletchley. At Denbigh North, just off the A5, south of Central
Milton Keynes. From junction 14 of the M1 take the left filter towards
Milton Keynes. Over the roundabout into H6 Childs Way, until the next
roundabout. Then turn left into V11 Tongwell St. Then it's right at
the next roundabout onto the A421 (H8 Standing Way). Follow the road
over several roundabouts - when at the Bleak Hall roundabout, turn
right into V6 Grafton Street and follow the brown signs to the stadium.
The MK Arena is at the end of Grafton St. near a retail park with
Asda.
Another option is to take the M1 to junction 15, then take the A508 to Stoney Stratford (see DAFTS recommended pubs). Head back on the A508, before taking the A5 at a roundabout and follow it until you see the stadium MK signs.
Parking There is some parking on nearby industrial estates
but fans are asked not to use retail parks. There is street parking
in Mount Farm, Granby and Denbigh West estates. There is very limted
parking at the stadium itself.
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Trains:
Bletchley station is about a mile from the new Stadium MK
and a 25 minute walk. Follow the B3034 Saxon Street (left out of
the station) until the roundabout with Watling Street, and bear
left. The station is served by the main London Euston to Birmingham
New Street line. NB: There are also buses from the Central Milton
Keynes station to the village of Stony Stratford for the DAFTS recommended
pubs - see below.
Suggested trains (updated
July 2007):
Darlington 07.30-London Kings Cross (10.13) Tube,
bus or walk 10.54-arr Bletchley 11.42. Rtn: 17.23-London Euston
(18.14) Kings Cross 1900-arr 21.38. Saver return: £102.
Birmingham New Street 09.33-Milton K Central (10.31)
10.34-arr Bletchley 10.49; rtn: 17.17-Milton K Central (17.23) 17.34-arr
Birmingham 18.36. Cheap day return £13.30, Saver return
£21.80.
Plenty of trains from London Euston: Make sure
you get a "fast one". 10.20-arr 10.57; Rtn: 17.23-arr London Euston
18.14. Cheap day returns £17.10.
Trains from Sheffield and Nottingham via Birmingham
New Street and from Cardiff Central via London Paddington
and Euston..
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Ace Cars 01908 366666
Buckingham Cars 01908 510510
Regal Cars 01908 666222
Darlington FC Supporters Club
Coach 9.30am,
£24. Contact: 01325 243911. See Darlington
Supporters' Club for more details.
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THE FRANCHISE DILEMMA
There has been the dilemma for some fans as to whether to pay money
through the turnstiles at MK Dons at all. Most will want to support
their team. The "ethical" alternative, is to see AFC
Wimbledon, who are at home to Heybridge Swifts.
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Accommodation
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| Bletchley
If you insist, there are some pubs in Bletchley, but not close to the stadium. The Old Swan, 8 Shenley
Road, MK3 6EZ has Greene King ales on, open from 12 noon. About two miles from the stadium though, in the other direction from the station along the B3034.
The Plough, Water Eaton Road, MK2 3AF, may have
some real ale. A mile east of the station, away from the ground.
Milton Keynes Town centre
Still the best bet on a
match day. Among the usual town centre chains, there are two central
Wetherspoons pubs, The Secklow Hundred, 171 Midsummer Boulevard
is a Lloyds No1, the other is simply Wetherspoons, 201 Midsummer
Boulevard, open from 9am, shockingly, for those who like
beer on their cornflakes.
 The Victoria Inn, Vicarage
Road, Bradwell, MK13 9AQ.
Recommended real ale pub out of the town centre, with a good choice
of changing beers. Open from 11am.
Country bumpkins
The
Cock and The Bull 72 and 64 High Street,
Stony Stratford.
Neighbouring pubs/hotels, less than 10 minutes by car/taxi from Central
MK although now further away from the new stadium. Apparently these
coaching inns spawned the "cock
and bull" legend, where 18th century travellers' tales were embellished
and exaggerated. Seems perfect for DAFTS! The Cock does good
food in the bar and Greene King beers. Recommended by the London
Millers, who won't be going back this year, because they somehow
stayed up.
Fox and Hounds, 87 High Street, Stony Stratford.
In the same street, CAMRA-recommended two-bar pub with changing ales. A slight wine bar feel inside but good food and friendly. DAFTS recommended.
Bus: You can reach Stony Stratford on the number
4 or the more regular number
5 buses from outside the railway station - the journey takes
about 20 minutes.
London alternative
Doric Arch (Head of
Steam), 1 Eversholt Street, Outside Euston Station.
Handy for those travelling via London - right outside the mainline
station which connects to MK. A regular DAFTS post-match meet-up when in London. This upstairs
bar, close to the bus stops in front of Euston station concourse,
has about five real ales on tap. Although no longer part of the
HoS chain, there are still a choice of beers apart from Fuller's.
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