MK Dons 0-3 AFC Bournemouth

The Match

As the teams entered the fray I think both sets of fans understood the importance of this game, and the opening stages reflected this; Milton Keynes had most of the possession without really threatening, while Bournemouth seemed dangerous on the break but struggled to get a hold of the ball. However, good teams want the ball, they will run and they will chase, which is exactly what Lewis Grabban did and his effort paid off as he seized on a terrible Jon Otsemobor backpass to round David Martin and slot the ball into the back of the net. From the away end it felt like the ball took days to finally go in, but when it did the celebrations duly began. It seemed like a dream start for The Cherries, taking the lead only 9 minutes into an away match at promotion rivals was perfect for Eddie Howe's men.

Grabban 'grabbed' the opener

 The rest of the half was extremely similar to our home match against Crewe, as while the opposition maintained control of the ball, we were never threatened and MK's only chance came when Shwan Jalal parried Ryan Lowe's shot from the edge of the area. Bournemouth were trying to frustrate the home side and hit them fast on the break, but often the ball was given away cheaply with some players opting against the simple option. As it seemed the teams would go into half-time with the score remaining 1-0, everything changed. Ryan Lowe got in a scuffle with Tommy Elphick, then Steve Cook, then Elphick again, with the Bournemouth defenders obviously getting under the veteran forward's skin. This showed when as MK cleared a Bournemouth corner, Elphick went for the ball only for Lowe to jump in two footed, it was later put by Howe as 'a disgusting tackle'. Lowe was rightly sent off but still found the time to start a scrap on the field and kick Bournemouth right-back Simon Francis. I don't usually offer my opinion in the match report, but  Karl Robinson ahad the nerve to say our players were saying stuff about Lowe's family as he went off, an astoundingly stupid claim. Justice was served as The Cherries got a second goal straight after, Grabban beat the Dons' defenders once more and his shot was saved by Martin only for Marc Pugh to tuck in the rebound. In a matter of minutes Bournemouth had gone from on the back foot to being in cruise control, and heading into the break a man and two goals up.

Pugh scored the second

MK Dons introduced Izale McLoed in the second half as despite being a man down they knew that in order to salvage something from the match, they had to go for it. Oddly, the home side seemed more energised and broke with more pace, though they found their options limited once they got further up the pitch. When they stalled the MK attack Howe's team attacked with force and pace, numerous cross field balls were played to the dangerous Pugh and Ritchie down the left side who were causing a lot of problems. Lewis Grabban continued his hard work getting in behind, while Brett Pitman squandered numerous chances, notably a free header from six yards out. Although the home side did not look like scoring, there was always a possibility. As Bournemouth went forward with Josh McQuoid on the ball, defender Shaun Williams made a superb tackle to win the ball and start a counter attack, their best chance came soon after; Izale McLoed pounced on the rebound of a shot that hit the post only the miss an open goal from steps away. I'd later learn he was offside (for about the tenth time) but regardless it was a truly abysmal miss that summed up the day for MK. The killer goal finally came in the 84th minute; clever play from Pugh won a free-kick on the edge of the area, with players still preparing the ball was laid to Arter who smashed a rocket into the top corner. It was a wonderful finish that capped off a great day at the office for the away team and their was pandemonium amongst the travelling Cherries' faithful. 'We want four' was the cry of some Bournemouth fans and that almost came when Pitman hit the crossbar, but the game ultimately ended in a deserved 3-0 win for The Cherries.

Arter's goal sealed the win

The home fans flocked quickly but all 1446 away fans stayed after the final whistle as the players came over to join in with the celebrations, the delight on their faces showed what the win meant to everyone associated with the football club. Ei ei ei o...

My Thoughts

What a day, what a win, what a season. Before the game I thought we'd win, but to go to a promotion rival away and win 3-0 is remarkable, and today was the kind of game that can define a season. We were second best in the first half, but the encouraging thing was that despite have little of the ball, it never looked as if we would concede. This team can play with flair and creativity, but when a strong backbone is needed we become extremely hard to break down. On another day, the match could have gone another way but our tactics paid off and I think you'd struggle to find someone who could contest the result. On behalf of every Bournemouth supporter, a special mention to Izale McLeod who put in one of the worst single performances in recent memory; he missed an open goal, he fell over himself (twice) and I don't think he did one thing to help his side when they needed it the most.

Unfortunately the game was marred by Lowe's disgraceful tackle and we can only hope Elphick turns out alright- he could have easily had his season/ career ended by that tackle. Thankfully both teams managed to continue the match as the professionals they are meant to be, but there certainly are times you question what a player is thinking. . I'd also suggest to Karl Robinson instead of banging on about how much money we spent, his club should spend money on their team instead of an outrageously ridiculous stadium. He made ludicrous claims in his post-match interview that were almost disrespectful to our club, we have spent a lot, we made have got decisions in our favour, but to say our players 'conducted themselves' badly is a bit much, what evidence do you have? I think you've been eating a few too many sour grapes.

Shut up, Karl.

Player Ratings

Jalal; 7- Didn't have much to do but the one time he had to make a save he was there, kept his concentration and distributed well.

Francis; 7- Once again he worked very hard and he improved in the second half, sometimes he needs to just whack the ball up the pitch instead of playing it out.

Cook; 9- A rock. With so much on his mind he performed admirably once again, MK's forward didn't get the better of him and he consistently won the ball, a great performance.

Elphick; 9- Exactly the same as Cook, he is a leader of men and if he is injured it will be a major blow to us, lets pray for a quick recovery.

Seaborne; 7- Much better performance than against Crewe, MK got in a few times behind him early on but it's clear that he's much better at centre-back, he seems to also be building chemistry with the team.

McQuoid; 7- He's found his confidence which is the most important thing, his runs across the face of the penalty box are dangerous and while he did not always make the right decision, he was a constant presence.

Arter; 8- In the first half he gave the ball away cheaply but it's hard to fault his performance overall. A absolutely sublime goal and no matter where the ball is, he'll be chasing it, he has more energy than a Duracell battery.

O'Kane; 7- It wasn't Eunan's best game but even though his impact was not huge, he kept the team ticking and never halted nor stalled any attacks. Despite his small stature, he's turning into quite a strong player.

Pugh; 8- Almost back to his best today, Marc turned the right back inside out a couple of times and really stretched their defence in the second half, his combination with Ritchie was lethal.

Lewis Grabban; 8- This man is becoming the definition of determination. With all due respect to Lewis, I think he's not 'technically' the most gifted, but his pace and effort provides the team with a constant outlet and his goal was key to the win.

Brett Pitman; 7- Chicken had an abundance of chances today and unfortunately didn't manage to take advantage. His finishing was off today but his link up play was great, most memorable was the one-two that put Grabban through on goal.

Matt Ritchie; 8- He's ours! Matt did fantastic to come in at left back on his debut and still play so well. He added another element going forward and his crossing was superb, I can't wait to see more of him.

Matt Tubbs & Richard Hughes; N/A

Bournemouth 1-1 MK Dons

A ten man MK Dons side made a second half comeback against their promotions rivals Bournemouth to grab and important away draw. This is a draw that certainly feels like two points dropped for Bournemouth, and the lack of inspiring play left fans unimpressed.

A tense and scrappy opening ten minutes soon lead to Bournemouth taking control of the game, with Marc Pugh linking the play between the midfield and the forward line. The first real attack of the game saw Charlie Daniels come from his left back position to take a shot, which was blocked, but the ball found it's way to Lewis Grabban who after a clever turn, hit a weak shot into the corner of David Martin's net. Soon after Alan Smith was given a straight red card for a reckless two footed tackle on midfielder Harry Arter. It's disputable as to whether the tackle warranted a red, but it deserved a yellow, and Smith committed a foul earlier that was worthy of a yellow also, ultimately justifying his dismissal. Bournemouth soon took control of the game, spreading the ball from wing to wing, with short passing football tiring out the weakened Dons team. The second goal never came though, and half-time came perfectly for Karl Robinson to sort his team out.

Paul Groves made the strangest decision I have ever seen at a match, choosing to replace the energetic Arter with 40 year old target man, Steve Fletcher. This completely destroyed our gameplan, and our tactics were worthless with the change in formation. The Dons took advantage of this, their manager recognizing our vulnerability and taking full advantage. After a prosperous ten minute spell, Darren Potter surged forward, playing a short pass to Daniel Powell who dinked the ball over the helpless Shwan Jalal. The remainder of the second half was for lack of a better word, rubbish. Bournemouth endlessly hoofed the ball up to Fletcher & co aimlessly, ultimately to no prevail, with the MK Dons defence never looking troubled.

The Bournemouth fans walked away from this game wondering just how we didn't win the game, when we looked so comfortable for the first 45 minutes. The blame ultimately comes down to the eye opening substitution; it was like watching two separate teams. I still have more questions about this team than answers, but it's Groves' job to figure it out. We may not have lost so far this year, but we have not won either, making a win at home against Preston on saturday quite important. Our visitors returned to Milton Keynes with a solid away point, hopefully that will not come back to haunt us at the end of the season.

Player Ratings:

Jalal; 7- Didn't have to do much, but I felt comfortable with him in the goal all night, couldn't do anything about the goal.

Francis; 6- Provided an option going forward but service was not his usual, lack of concentration led to the goal.

Cook; 7- A solid performance, was one of the few players driving on towards the end.

Addison; 6- Decent, but didn't do much of note, mix up contributed to Powell having so much space.

Daniels; 5- What happened to him? Never helped going forward, needs to link up with Pugh better.
Thanks for reading.

Arter; 7- Energetic and enthusiastic display that did not warrant being subbed, missed him when he went off.

Pugh; 6- Good first half but anonymous second half, time to be dropped me thinks.

O'Kane; 6- Some nice passing and he was helpful, but never provided killer balls or anything dangerous

Partington; 7- his best game so far, always there for help and provide solid service throughout

Grabban; 6- Took the goal well but contributed little of note elswhere

Barnard; 5- Harsh maybe, but barely noticed him playing, he was much better against Portsmouth

Subs:

No impact.

AFC Bournemouth vs MK Dons Preview

Tonight's game sees MK Dons make the trip down to the south coast for the second game of the Football League season. Bournemouth come off the back of a difficult draw away to Portsmouth, and will surely be looking to kickstart their season with a win. The Dons however got a 2-0 win at home to Oldham on saturday, signalling their intent that they aim to finally win promotion to the Championship this season.

The start of the season could not be much tougher for Bournemouth, but it will also be a chance for everyone to see what this Bournemouth side is made of. Portsmouth, MK Dons, and Preston are all tough fixtures, but if promotion is the goal, these are games Bournemouth should be winning. In their short history MK Dons have a mixed record against Bournemouth, with Bournemouth winning a few times at the National Hockey Stadium and Stadium: MK respectively, but MK have had a few wins at Dean Court also. That said, past records count for nothing in this big clash as both teams have high aspirations for the forthcoming season.

Cherries fans will be interested to see how Paul Groves will change the lineup from Saturday's game. It was evident for everyone to see that the midfield was overrun by Portsmouth's midfield, and in my opinion, a change is necessary against an arguably stronger MK Dons team. A lack of width was detrimental to our attacking play on Saturday, so it's possible that Groves drops either Pugh or O'Kane, or both of them, with McDermott and Grabban waiting for the chance to play. The defence will likely be unchanged, but Wes Thomas may be dropped in favour of Matt Tubbs, who can offer a different element to the forward line. The most important decision Groves has to make is the goalkeeping position, after Jalal's calamitous mistake, he did recover and make a few quality saves. Hopefully Jalal gets the start again, helping him regain his confidence.

The Cherries play a dangerous, attacking team this morning who have had two successful seasons on the trot. The Dons have a squad that has remained largely intact from last season, but Ryan Lowe is a notable addition from Sheffield Wednesday. We could likely see Lowe partner Dean Bowditch up front tonight, which will provide a tough test for our defence.  MK boast a solid defence which is helped by a dynamic midfield, featuring young, pacey talent Daniel Powell and the experienced head of Alan Smith. I am fearful that MK grab and early goal then use their stout defence to stop our attack for the rest of the game.

Tonight's game has the making of a quality, attacking match, but it is possible that with both teams having such high hopes for the season, that it becomes a tense affair. Summoning my optimistic side, I predict a 2-1 for Bournemouth (hopefully!). A draw would be an okay result, but we cannot afford to lose this one. If any Dons are making the trip I hope you enjoy our three sided stadium.