MK Dons played out a 0-0 draw with Grimsby Town in a day where the home crowd said farewell to veteran star Dean Lewington.
On a day when the Dons’ captain played his final home game for the club, both sides created and missed opportunities, but neither goalkeeper would end it beaten.
A point means Paul Warne remains unbeaten in his brief tenure after being named as MK Dons’ Head Coach earlier this month. The team sit 18th, and they can no longer finish higher, although there are four teams within three points of them in the table ahead of next weekend’s season finale.
Having confirmed survival with victory at Crewe on Easter Monday, the Dons marked their final assignment of the 2024/25 season at Stadium MK by dedicating it to captain Lewington, who had announced earlier this month he would be retiring from playing at the end of the season.
The 40-year-old was given a guard of honour, as well as making his first appearance since November. The game came against a Grimsby side still with something to play for, with the Mariners beginning the day in 7th position and chasing a place in the play-offs.
Played amid a loud atmosphere from both fans, Grimsby had the first sniff of an opportunity when Charles Vernam had a strike deflected wide.
Grimsby skipper Danny Rose had a strike blocked, before the Dons began to create opportunities when Jonathan Leko had a curling strike just fly wide.
An open game saw both sides carry a threat, before MK Dons nearly took advantage of an opportunity when Connor Lemonheigh-Evans saw a crisp strike well stopped by Grimsby goalkeeper Jake Eastwood.
A dangerous cross-shot from Vernam narrowly failed to pick someone out in the middle, before the Dons’ Liam Kelly fired a low strike wide after good set-up work.
Grimsby then briefly thought they had opened the scoring when Rose touched in Denver Hume’s cross, only for an offside flag to be raised.
Lemonheigh-Evans flicked a strike wide just before the break, while Kelly also lost possession when in position to shoot after a breakaway move in stoppage time.
Rose would then have another goal disallowed after the break, with the officials ruling he had fouled Craig MacGillivray before scoring.
Eastwood in the Grimsby goal then made a pair of stops to thwart the Dons, making one stop to deny Lemonheigh-Evans after a surging run through the middle before he made another intervention to deny Scott Hogan.
Hogan would injure himself in shooting and was taken off, but the Dons would still have some momentum as Lemonheigh-Evans sent a header wide.
Lewington was given a standing ovation by home supporters when he was taken off with 20 minutes to go, with the substitution bringing an end to his career of having played over 900 times for MK Dons and in every season since Wimbledon first moved to the city in 2003.
With Salford beating Colchester, Grimsby began to press in search of a goal that would keep them in the play-off positions going into the final day. But the Dons were still posing a threat, with Jack Sanders’ header at a corner narrowly creeping wide and narrowly bouncing in front of Lemonheigh-Evans when he could’ve touched it over the line.
Grimsby’s best chance came late on and very nearly saw the visitors hit the jackpot, as Kieran Green’s free-kick struck the post.
The eight minutes of stoppage time took on a frantic pace, with both sides spurning chances to steal the points. Both the Dons’ chances fell to Lewington’s replacement Laurence Maguire, who saw one header saved by Eastwood and another bounce wide, while Grimsby’s Evan Khouri saw a strike skew wide from a decent position in-between the two Maguire headers.
As it was, however, neither side could find the decisive breakthrough, and with that, the points were shared on both Lewington’s football farewell and the Dons’ last home game of the campaign. They wrap up their season away at Swindon Town on the final day of the campaign next week.
MK Dons: MacGillivray – Offord, Sanders, Lewington (Maguire 69) – Nemane (O’Reilly 76), Lemonheigh-Evans, Kelly (White 76), Thompson-Sommers, Tomlinson – Leko (Orsi 60), Hogan (Hendry 60)
Subs not used: Trueman, Waller
Booked: Hendry
Grimsby: Eastwood – Rogers, Tharme, Warren – Svanthorsson, Khouri, McEachran, Green, Hume – Vernam (Cass 52), Rose
Subs not used: Wright, Obikwu, Barrington, Ainley, McJannet, Burns
Milton Keynes City Council are encouraging eligible local residents to apply for free energy-saving home improvements under a new Warmer Homes Grant scheme.
The scheme offers insulation, low carbon heating systems, solar panels, and other energy efficiency upgrades, all of which are fully funded for those who qualify. The programme is funded by the UK Government in partnership with Milton Keynes City Council.
MK City Council said that this scheme replaces the previous grant and now has wider eligibility, meaning more people could benefit.
While only households without gas heating qualified before, the updated criteria now includes those with gas heating as well as those on a means-tested benefit and living in a home with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F or G. The grant is available to landlords as well as private tenants.
Residents who think they may be eligible are encouraged to visit the Warmer Homes website to check and apply.
Cllr Shanika Mahendran, Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, said, “This new scheme means even more people will be able to receive upgrades to their homes. It’s quick and easy to register your interest and can go a long way in improving your home while making it more energy efficient and bringing down your bills.”
Brackley Town will enter the final day of the National League North in a three-way fight for automatic promotion after winning both games at Easter.
The Saints’ victories over Oxford City and Leamington means that Brackley will enter the final day still in the hunt to finish first in the sixth tier of English football, which in the process would win the club automatic promotion to the National League and the sixth their tier.
Going into the final day, Brackley are level on points with leaders Kidderminster Harriers, with the side from the West Midlands ahead on goal difference. Both teams have 89 points, but Kidderminster’s goal difference of +50 is 22 goal difference points stronger than Brackley’s.
Also still in with a chance of swiping first on the final day is Scunthorpe United, who sit two points behind Kidderminster and Brackley.
The final round of decisive fixtures takes place on Saturday (26/04) at 3pm.
For their part, Brackley host Farsley Celtic, who have already been relegated from the National League North and are guaranteed to finish in last place.
On the final day, Brackley will need to win and for Kidderminster to drop points. They would also win promotion if they drew, Kidderminster lost and Scunthorpe failed to win. If Brackley draw, Kidderminster lose and Scunthorpe win, Scunthorpe would take first on goal difference. If Brackley lose, they will be in the play-offs regardless of what happens elsewhere.
Kidderminster travel to Southport, who currently sit 19th in the table, while Scunthorpe end their campaign by travelling to play Hereford, who are currently 7th and need the points to guarantee a play-off spot.
The Easter victories saw Brackley beat Oxford City 1-0 at home on Good Friday before recording a 2-0 win away at Leamington on Easter Monday. The pair of wins means Brackley enter the final day after winning five straight matches.
The Bletchley Park Trust will mark 80 years since Victory in Europe (VE) Day with a special weekend of vintage fun, shopping, food and more as part of its 1940s weekend.
The site, which hosted the codebreakers that played a key role in World War 2, will host a variety of events over the weekend of 3rd & 4th May, in the last weekend before VE Day itself is officially marked on 8th May.
Bletchley Park announced that the site will play host to a packed schedule of entertainment throughout the weekend, with live music, dancing, activities for families and demonstrations.
Visitors can Learn how to swing dance and then try out your new steps to boogie to vintage tunes performed by live bands and singers, sing along to popular songs of the era and try their hand at breaking coded messages.
In addition, visitors can browse and buy unique 1940s-inspired treasures, including clothing, accessories, and memorabilia and meet characters from World War Two, both military and civilian, brought to life by reenactors in vintage dress.
As well as these special events, all the regular exhibitions are open as usual for you to explore how the Codebreakers at Bletchley Park played a vital role in securing victory.
Visitors can walk in their footsteps through refurbished original wartime buildings and hear their stories in their own words. They can also explore interactive exhibits to reveal what life was like at Bletchley Park and discover the impact the intelligence produced had on the conflict.
You are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy but there are plenty of food and drink options available on site. There will be picnic tables set up like a street party for everyone to join together
Find out more and see the full schedule of activities: https://bletchleypark.org.uk/event/ve-1940s-weekend/
Odeon will be taking over from Cineworld as operators of a cinema in Northampton.
The site had been out of action since Cineworld opted to close their branch at Sixfields in Northampton in January, but it will now be re-opened as an Odeon Luxe cinema, with first screenings to take place at the new location from May 26th.
The new site will be rebranded as Odeon’s Luxe model, which uses reclining seats, built-in tables and features 4K high-definition screens.
Renovation works had begun last month after Odeon had picked up the least following the expiration of the previous contract with Cineworld.
In a statement to the BBC, Odeon said, “We are excited to open our newly refurbished cinema in Northampton later in the year and welcome guests through our doors.”
Cineworld’s move to close their Northampton branch saw the closure of a branch that has been operated by the cinema chain since 2005.
The Cineworld company was severely affected by the collapse in cinema attendance induced by the covid-19 pandemic and the consequent inflationary bubble in the early 2020s, which lead to the company experiencing multiple financial problems, entering administration in 2023 and closing several UK branches.
