MK Dons picked up a point as they drew 2-2 with Carlisle United in Cumbria.
Joe Tomlinson had given the Dons a sixth minute lead, before Matt Dennis equalised for Carlisle against the club that he had began the season with.
Alex Gilbey restored the Dons’ lead, only for Kadeem Harris to equalise for Carlisle in first half stoppage time.
With no winner in the second half, the draw means MK Dons climb one spot into 17th in the League Two table. Ahead of their final 8 games of the League Two season, they are 15 points clear of the relegation zone and 13 points off the play-offs.
Having picked up a first win away from home under caretaker boss Ben Gladwin in midweek, MK Dons had hoped to push on against a Carlisle side that began the night bottom of the table. The hosts were still searching for results under Mark Hughes, who recently replaced Mike Williamson after his own ill-fated stint at Brunton Park following a departure from MK Dons for Carlisle was cut short.
MK Dons made a bright start at Carlisle, as they managed to take the lead inside six minutes. The visitors managed to release Aaron Nemane down their right hand side, and his cross fell the way of Tomlinson, who duly lashed home to put the visitors in front.
The visitors had largely kept possession in the 20 minutes or so after scoring, but Carlisle would equalise in the 26th minute. Archie Davies’ cross picked out Dennis, who headed the ball beyond Connal Trueman to score against the Dons two months on from being let go by them at the end of the January window.
But MK Dons would respond. Moments after Gilbey had a shot blocked on the line, the Dons’ captain was able to put them into the lead. Hesitant defending by Davies saw him lose possession and the ball fell for Gilbey, who advanced, rounded home keeper Gabe Breeze and then scored.
However, MK Dons couldn’t maintain their lead through to half-time. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, the Dons failed to clear their lines at a goalmouth scramble and the ball fell for Harris, who lashed it home.
Carlisle then nearly took the lead for the first time even later into stoppage time. Jordan Jones’ strike on goal was goalbound and required a fine diving save by Trueman to prevent crossing the line.
The second half had less goalmouth action than was seen before the break. Gilbey had a goal disallowed for offside, before substitute Jonathan Leko had a shot blocked after he & Tomlinson seemed to get in one another’s way.
Carlisle saw another former Dons man in Stephen Wearne miss the target late on, but the two sides settled for a draw.
MK Dons will seek to pick up a third win in five games on Saturday, when they welcome Fleetwood Town to Stadium MK.
Milton Keynes City Council have confirmed there will be changes to car parking tariffs in the city centre.
The changes go live from next Monday (31/03) and are the first recorded on city centre car parks in over a decade.
The move will see changes that MK City Council first announced last November go into effect.
Under the new rules, the two-hour minimum stay period in standard (purple) bays becomes £2.00 (currently £1.00) with the hourly rate thereafter changed unchanged at 50p per hour.
One-hour minimum stay period in premium (red) bays becomes £2.50 (currently £2.00) with the hourly rate thereafter unchanged at £2.00 per hour.
In further alterations, E1 employee permit daily charge becomes £3.00 for a whole day (currently £2.80) or £2.00 for five hours (currently £1.40).
The City Council have also added that they will be removing car share, hotel or conference permits due to their limited use. Car share permit applications have fallen by nearly 90% in the last five years.
MK City Council justified the changes in a statement by saying, “The new tariffs still mean that Milton Keynes remains competitive compared to other similar city centre parking such as Northampton or Bedford centres which cost £2 per hour to park.
“The changes align the cost of parking closer to that of bus travel as part of wider work to encourage more passengers onto public transport. For most journeys in Milton Keynes the bus fare to the city centre is £2.00 for a single trip.”
Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal road traffic collision on the A422 road between Buckingham and Milton Keynes.
The incident happened at around 3.50pm yesterday (20/3), when a blue Yamaha MT125 motorcycle was involved in a collision with a black Jeep Cherokee and a beige Skoda Yeti.
The motorcycle was travelling from Buckingham towards Milton Keynes, while the Jeep and Skoda were travelling in the opposite direction towards Buckingham.
Thames Valley Police confirmed that the rider of the motorcycle, a 39-year-old man, sadly died at the scene. His family are being supported by specially trained officers.
Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Edward Crofts, of the Roads Policing Joint Operations Unit, said, “Firstly, I would like to offer my deep condolences to the family of the motorcyclist, who died in this collision.
“We are appealing to anyone who saw this incident to please get in touch.
“We are also appealing to the rider of a black Yamaha 125 motorcycle, who was in the area at the time of collision, and may have information to assist our enquiries, to come forward.
“If you have dash-cam footage of the incident, the moments leading up to it or of the black Yamaha motorcycle, please contact us or upload it to our dedicated online portal.
“Anyone with information can call 101 or make an online report, via our website, quoting crime reference number 43250136550.
“We are also appealing to anyone who witnessed the theft a blue Yamaha MT125 motorcycle in School Lane, Buckingham between 3pm and 3.30pm on the same day to please get in touch.
“Anyone with information for this incident can call 101 or make an online report, quoting 43250136633.
“Alternatively, for 100% anonymity, you can also call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 11 or report via their website.”
Bowling and entertainment brand Lane7 has officially opened a new venue in Central Milton Keynes.
Located in the former basement of Debenhams within the shopping centre, the new venue offers a wide array of entertainment options, including bowling, roller skating, karaoke and more.
Guests can enjoy 14 bowling lanes—some of which celebrate strikes with smoke effects—alongside a roller skating rink, golf simulators, bumper cars, karaoke rooms, darts, shuffleboard, pool tables, arcades, beer pong, and ping pong.
The venue also introduces its ‘Playground’ concept, featuring an interactive gaming zone, and ‘The Red Room,’ made up of a private space equipped with exclusive bowling lanes, ping pong tables, and dartboards, ideal for private events and functions.
The grand opening ceremony was officiated by the Mayor of Milton Keynes, Cllr Marie Bradburn, who had the honour of bowling the inaugural ball down the lanes in an event held last week.
Simon Martin, General Manager at Midsummer Place, expressed his enthusiasm for the new addition, saying, “This is an exciting time for Midsummer Place and Central Milton Keynes as we welcome new retail and leisure experiences. The recent completion of The Boulevard has already transformed the look of the centre, and there is much more to reveal in the coming months.”
Gavin Hughes, Managing Director at Lane7, added, “This is the biggest, boldest, and most exciting Lane7 we’ve ever created. We’re all about pushing the boundaries of what a night out should be, and Milton Keynes is getting an entertainment playground like no other. Whether you’re coming for the bowling, the bumper cars, or just a killer cocktail, we guarantee there’s nothing else like it.”
The Mayor also said, “I was delighted to officially open Lane7 at Midsummer Place today. This exciting new venue brings a fantastic entertainment space to the heart of our city, offering a vibrant place for families, friends, and visitors to come together and enjoy. I was honoured to take the first bowl. I look forward to seeing Lane7 become a go-to destination for fun and socialising in Milton Keynes.”
Lane7 Milton Keynes is open daily from 11:00 AM to midnight, Sunday through Thursday, and from 11:00 AM to 1:30 AM on Fridays and Saturdays. Guests under 18 are welcome until 7:00 PM each evening. The venue offers a diverse food and drink menu, including hand-stretched sourdough pizzas, loaded hot dogs, and a wide selection of beers, ciders, and cocktails.
For more information or to book your next experience, visit www.lane7.com
Rail passengers have been advised to prepare for engineering works on the route between Milton Keynes and London at Easter.
Major upgrades are taking place on multiple points of the West Coast Main Line, with one noteworthy area including the outright closure of London Euston train station between Easter Saturday (19th April) and Easter Monday (21st April).
The closure means that no trains will be in operation between Milton Keynes Central and London Euston on these three days, with only a limited service running through to Euston on Good Friday (18th April).
Avanti West Coast have said their operations will see buses run between the station and Bedford, from where passengers can catch further trains to London.
Avanti will be running limited services from Milton Keynes to Manchester, Liverpool and Carlisle on the Saturday and Monday. The Liverpool service won’t run on the Sunday as engineering works closes the route between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street.
Passengers heading northwards are advised that on these three dates, further engineering works means no trains are running beyond Carlisle, with buses taking passengers onwards to Glasgow or Edinburgh.
London Northwestern Railway will be running limited services between Watford Junction and Milton Keynes Central, along with further services from Milton Keynes Central to Crewe and Birmingham New Street. As well as the Bedford to MK bus, there will also be limited buses in operation between Watford and Potters Bar to connect with services to Central London.
Network Rail’s head of Euston station operations, Amanda Webster-Uz said in a statement, “There’s a lot of great work happening over the Easter bank holiday to improve the reliability and safety of the railway for passengers and freight. We know some of this will be disruptive, but bank holidays remain the least busy time for carrying out complex upgrades.
“I’d like to urge passengers to plan ahead at www.nationalrail.co.uk/spring and recommend those planning journeys to or from London Euston, travel either side of the Easter weekend to avoid longer journeys and some bus replacement services.”
