MK Dons were beaten 2-1 in their re-arranged match at Fleetwood Town, seeing them lose for a third straight match.
Ryan Broom and Shaun Rooney scored a goal in each half for the Cod Army, and although Dons substitute Tommi O’Reilly grabbed a goal back on his debut, there was no preventing a reverse for the side from Milton Keynes.
Defeat means the Dons have won just one of their last 8 League Two games, in a slump that has seen them fall to 12th in the table and sit 8 points off the play-offs.
The Dons will be seeking improvements on Saturday, when they welcome rivals AFC Wimbledon to Stadium MK for their third meeting of the campaign with the side from South London, with MK Dons having lost their first two meetings with them this year.
A reshuffled Dons outfit were seeking better times in the North West after their recent rough patch, with the game being played 2 months later than planned after a storm lead to the cancellation of the original game.
Although MK Dons began with a lot of possession, they were struggling to find it easy to create shooting opportunities.
Fleetwood had the earliest best chances, with Matty Virtue firing wide when well placed before Rooney had a strike deflected on target that recalled goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray had to tip wide.
The home side would score the opening goal just after the half hour mark, as Broom picked up the loose ball from a half-cleared free-kick and duly dispatched a strike through a crowd, past MacGillivray and in.
Scott Hogan had a chance to make it two goals in as many games from a similar scenario to his goal at Walsall in the Dons’ previous game, but his strike this time lacked power and was held by Jay Lynch.
Broom was denied by MacGillivray just before half-time, before an even second half saw half-chances if any being the best either side could manufacture.
With just over 20 minutes to go, Fleetwood grabbed their second. Rooney rose highest to meet Phoenix Patterson’s corner and his header duly ended up in the back of the net to make it 2-0.
MK Dons would grab a goal back with just under ten to play. Jay Williams fed through substitute O’Reilly, and the January signing from Aston Villa was able to evade challenges before thumping a strike home.
Fellow sub Callum Hendry had a shot denied by Lynch a few moments later, but that was it for great chances for MK Dons, who were unable to fashion an equaliser and drifted to defeat.
MK Dons youngster Callum Tripp has joined National League outfit Gateshead on loan.
The 18-year-old, who can play in defence or midfield, will spend the remainder of the season with the side from North East England.
Tripp had made 7 first team appearances for MK Dons this season, although only one of them came after the departure of Mike Williamson in September, with that appearance coming in the EFL Trophy in early October.
The defender has made 12 first team appearances overall for MK Dons, having made his first team debut in an EFL Trophy tie in 2022.
The move sees Tripp join a side currently sat 4th in the National League. The Heed are currently managed by Carl Magnay, who worked as part of Williamson’s coaching staff at MK Dons and briefly had a spell at Carlisle before being offered the Gateshead job in October when Rob Elliot left to take the Crawley job vacated by Scott Lindsey after he took the MK Dons job as a replacement Williamson.
MK Dons Sporting Director Liam Sweeting told the club’s official website that the move was intended to give Tripp more regular first team game time.
He said, “We have already seen first-hand the potential in Trippy when he comfortably stepped in and played at the start of the season, and we hope this loan opportunity will give him a run of games to further develop and showcase what he can do.
“Gateshead is a club we know well, and we have a lot of trust in the people there, not least Carl Magnay who was with us as part of Mike’s backroom team and knows Callum well.
“It is an excellent opportunity for Callum to join a National League side well in the hunt for promotion and we will be sure to closely monitor his progress”.
Police have released CCTV of a man that officers would like to speak to following an incident of exposure in Newport Pagnell.
The incident happened at around midnight on Sunday 12 January, when a man was reported to be disruptive in a pub on Newport Pagnell High Street. He was asked to leave by staff and exited the premises.
When the pub closed for the night, customers left and the man was across the road shouting at them. He proceeded to expose himself at the group whilst shouting at them.
Thames Valley Police have released the picture as part of their appeals to trace an individual they believe may help with their enquiries.
Investigating officer PC Ryan Dunne said: “We are releasing images of a man who we believe may have vital information with regards to our enquiries.
“If anyone recognises the man, or if this is you, we would ask you to please get in touch by calling 101 quoting reference 43250017587.
“Or if you do not wish to speak to the police you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and they will take your information 100% anonymously.”
The winners of the Christmas Tree Festival at Midsummer Place have received prizes from the Milton Keynes based shopping centre.
The winning charities were awarded their prizes on Thursday 9 January to celebrate the efforts of all participants.
In all, 4,444 unique votes and 12,132 overall votes cast, representing a 47% increase compared to last year’s event.
Slimming World Milton Keynes with Jane, supporting Alzheimer’s Research UK, were the competition winners with 1,845 votes, winning the grand prize of £1,750 for their charity.
Probadge Limited, supporting Medical Detection Dogs, were runners up with 1,350 votes, earning a £1,050 prize.
Samaritans Milton Keynes, supporting Samaritans Milton Keynes, came third with 1,078 votes, taking a £700 prize.
In all, 14 trees decorated by local businesses were in Midsummer Place for the Christmas season. The shopping centre have confirmed the event will return for 2025.
Kirsty McGiff, Marketing Manager at Midsummer Place, said, “The response to this year’s Christmas Tree Festival has been extraordinary. Not only did we see a significant increase in votes, but we also heard so many heartwarming comments from shoppers who were inspired by the creativity and causes represented. I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the local sponsors, participants, and visitors who came together to make this festival a highlight of the season. Your support truly reflects the spirit of Christmas.”
Jane Hammonds from Slimming World Milton Keynes, added, “We’ve been delighted to take part in the tree festival again this year and are so thankful to have won for our charity, Alzheimer’s Research UK, to support further research to find a cure for this dreadful disease.”
Kathy Lewis, from Probadge supporting Medical Detection Dogs, said, “This has been a wonderful community event to be part of and has helped to raise our profile to a new audience in one of busiest times of the year. We’re delighted to have placed 2nd and would like to congratulate all entries for their amazing and festive spirit.”
Clair Roberts from Samaritans Milton Keynes, added, “It’s been amazing to be a part of this brilliant competition. It’s great exposure for our branch of Samaritans and lets people know we are always there. This will help us save lives and support people in their darkest time.”
Approval has been given to a project to build a new women’s and children’s hospital in Milton Keynes.
It was today (21/01) announced that the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital at Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) will be delivered, with construction taking place between 2025 and 2030.
The decision to proceed with construction came following a review of the previous government’s New Hospital Programme (NHP) by Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting.
Plans for a new hospital building are intended to increase clinical capacity and meet the future healthcare needs of the growing city.
Joe Harrison CBE, CEO at MKUH, said, “We are thrilled to receive confirmation that, as part of the Government’s New Hospital Programme, a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital will be delivered as planned for the people of Milton Keynes.
“This addition to our hospital estate is a key strand of our future strategy which has been built around the needs of this fast-growing city. MKUH is now in a position to re-imagine how it sees and treats patients, and to deliver improved patient experience across the board. We are excited to move forward with our plans and would like to thank everyone in Milton Keynes for their ideas and support over recent years.”
The NHP-funded work at MKUH will also enable the introduction of new technology that will create ‘smarter’ hospital facilities.
To date, NHP enabling work has resulted in a number of site improvements getting underway at MKUH including the construction of a new Imaging Centre and an additional multi-storey car park.
