Scott Lindsey was left disappointed by his MK Dons side’s failure to create enough chances or score against Gillingham.

MK Dons had possession dominance in the contest but struggled to create big chances in the match, and a second half goal by Robbie McKenzie instead took the points for Gillingham in the game at Stadium MK.

Defeat came after MK Dons had won their six previous games, but Lindsey said he felt the team’s performance was good enough to extend their winning run and was disappointed at the lack of cutting edge his side provided.

He said, “We haven’t won it because we weren’t good enough in front of goal. That’s how we’ve not won it. For all the ball we had, we didn’t create enough and then when we did create, we weren’t ruthless enough within them moments. That’s how we’ve not won the game. It’s very simple, really.

“I don’t think we can play much better if I’m honest with you but we’ve got to ask more questions of the opposition or certainly the goalkeeper. We didn’t do enough in front of goal. I think we got through on occasions but wasn’t ruthless, calm or good enough in the moment to score. So that’s the reason why they go down the road with three points.”

Lindsey was also left frustrated with the goal that the Dons conceded, feeling that keeper Tom McGill should’ve saved it but also feeling the defensive unit also didn’t cover themselves in glory.

“They score off the second phase of a corner. It shouldn’t happen. The keeper should save it. But fair play to them and good luck to them.”

Elaborating further, he said, “He’s got to save it. Having said that, we’ve got to deal with the corner better than we did or certainly the second phase of it. There were unmarked players at the far end of the box. The boy who brought it down and scored showed real good skill to get through us but he shouldn’t have that much time in the box. We gave him too much time. It’s not all Tom’s fault – as a defensive unit, we’ve got to do better.”

MK Dons had over 75% possession in the game, but Lindsey felt that the team didn’t do enough with it and that it ended up coming back to bite the team as he had feared.

He said, “We were good in the game. Anyone who was at the game today, it was clear to see we were the better team and we were good. I said to the team at half-time, ‘Don’t let it be one where its a smash and grab for them. Don’t let them score. The longer it goes on at 0-0, the easier it is for them to go up the other end, put one in the net, then close the door and lock it off.’

“That’s exactly what happened. All I’ve just done is walk into the dressing room and said I told you so because I could feel it coming. We had to put them chances away in the first half and didn’t, and we didn’t create enough in the second half.

“We’ve got to be better. We’ve got to have more invention in front of goal.”

Milton Keynes City Council has run a pilot scheme to increase access to oral and dental care for local children, and have confirmed plans to expand the scheme in 2025.

The scheme will see the City Council distribute more than 7,000 free toothbrushes next year.

Funded by the City Council’s Public Health team, a pilot scheme run in Bletchley saw more than 500 free toothbrushes, along with paste and oral care tips, distributed to local families in need.

Nationally, tooth decay remains the main cause of hospital admission among children aged 5 to 9 whilst almost a quarter of five-year-olds have experienced tooth decay.

This year, The Saplings Family Centre has offered regular sessions where parents and carers can pop in to access the free supplies for children and get advice.  In parallel, the City Council has worked with two primary schools in Bletchley to provide lesson plans around brushing and oral hygiene.

The expanded scheme will see these sessions offered across other City Council Family Centres including a stock of specialist toothbrushes designed for children with additional needs.

Councillor Donna Fuller, Cabinet Member for Adult Services, Health & Communities, said, “We recognise that oral hygiene among young people is a national issue which is why we want to get more supplies and guidance out there in our local communities. Something that many of us take for granted is having our own toothbrush yet we know that isn’t the case for all families. This scheme will help to reduce local hospital admissions whilst improving access to these essential items.”

Councillor Joe Hearnshaw, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, added, “It’s great to see another example of local schools working with us in partnership to support young people. We look forward to expanding this scheme to reach more children including those who may have additional needs – a group we know can struggle more in this area.”

A new February date has been announced for MK Dons’ trip to face Barrow.

The Dons will make the trip to Barrow’s SO Legal Stadium on Tuesday February 11th 2025, with the game taking place as a 7:45pm kick-off in Lancashire.

MK Dons had initially been scheduled to face Barrow on December 7th, but the game was postponed after poor conditions at the Bluebirds’ ground in the wake of Storm Darragh.

The match was one of two away games postponed in the wake of storms for the Dons in recent weeks, with the team’s trip to Fleetwood in November postponed due to Storm Bert.

The new date for the Dons’ game at Barrow will see the match take place in-between a home clash with Bromley on February 8th and a trip to Tranmere on February 15th.

With the Tranmere game followed by an away match at Bradford a week later, it means the Dons are now scheduled to have three consecutive away games. This matches the new date for the Fleetwood game, which also comes in a block of three away games.

MK Dons have confirmed that tickets and official travel previously purchased for the game’s original date remain valid, with fans who had booked on supporter coaches able to travel on it again at no extra cost.

The club’s CEO Neil Hart said, “While we appreciate just how frustrating our recent postponements have been, I’d like to reassure our supporters that the club took every step to get those games on, liaising with the host clubs and the EFL at every stage. I’m also delighted we’re able to cover the cost of official away travel for our supporters.”

Northampton Town were left with no answer to Rotherham United’s charge after the Cobblers were beaten 3-0 by the Millers.

Two first half goals by Jonson Clarke-Harris and a second just after the break by Andre Green did the job for the Yorkshire-based club, as Northampton were unable to follow up their victory against Peterborough with another success.

The result sees Northampton slip to 19th position in the League One table, in a result that sees Rotherham climb above Northampton in the third tier table. The currently managerless Cobblers are now two points above the relegation zone, but have played a game more than the 5 teams below them in the table.

A Cobblers team still under the interim leadership of Ian Sampson had hoped to build on winning the Nene Valley Derby against rivals Peterborough, but hopes of making it back-to-back wins were hurt when they fell behind within three minutes.

Former Peterborough striker Clarke-Harris would grab an opener for the Millers, with the striker heading in Sam Nombe’s cross and an offside appeal by the away side ignored by the officials.

Clarke-Harris continued to provide a danger as he saw a similar header kept out by Nik Tzanev, before Dillon Phillips denied the Cobblers’ Jon Guthrie when he had a header on target in a chance for the visitors.

Rotherham would double their lead just after the half-hour mark, as space opened up for Green on the flank, and he duly squared for Clarke-Harris to plant home his and Rotherham’s second.

Cameron McGeehan and Mitch Pinnock would come close for Northampton to getting a goal back in the final stages of the first half, before Joe Powell fired a shot wide for Rotherham just after the break.

Northampton fell 3-0 down in the opening five minutes of the second half, as Green bundled the ball over the line when Rotherham’s corner wasn’t cleared.

The second half would largely play out in an an eventful run to the finish, with a Powell hit that struck the bar the closest either side came to adding to the scoreboard as Northampton left South Yorkshire with no points.

Northampton are next in action in the EFL Trophy away at rivals Peterborough on Tuesday, before they have their last game before Christmas next Saturday as they welcome Charlton to Sixfields.