Chafing at the bit! Moors goalkeeping Farrier is ready for the big match. Managerless Dons are good to go too

Just two days to go until the 9^th stop on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. I am really looking forward to seeing the FA Cup First Round tie between MK Dons and Spennymoor Town at Stadium MK on Saturday. As the preparations are completed MK Dons are looking to Caretaker Manager Richie Barker for inspiration and The Moors recorded yet another high scoring win in midweek.

For two weeks now the Dons have been searching for a new manager to replace the young, talented and, dare I say it, harshly treated former boss Karl Robinson who left a fortnight ago. Paul Mitchell remains the odds on favourite for the vacant post but Ryan Giggs has now had his odds shortened to 3/1 and would be a popular appointment with the fans. The club have now announced that there will be no deal done before the weekend and Richie Barker will be in the Dons dugout for the big game.

Barker and Robinson together at Stadium MK in happier times

 I note from various sources that Barker is unlikely to pick a ‘squad team’ for this tie. He is keen to make an impression as he too is in the running to land the job on a permanent basis and is currently 14/1 with most bookmakers. He will probably field the strongest team available to try to see off the Moors in some style. This may mean that the young Scots players Hendry and Furlong miss out on selection.

There is still a possibility that a Scotsman could be the next MK Dons boss with Steven Pressley, Dougie Freedman and Billy Davies all still quoted in the betting. Unfortunately the controversial Scot Steve Evans is also still quoted but I am pleased to note that his odds are lengthening.

Other news from the club in advance of the tie notes that the Dons have a 100% record when playing at home in the FA Cup against a non league team. Still, there is a first time for everything.

Meanwhile up in County Durham the Moors had league business to attend to on Tuesday evening. They were once again in fine high-scoring form seeing off the challenge of Workington by 4 goals to 1 in an Evostik League fixture. Armstong, Anderson, Fisher and Tait were all on the scoresheet. With the game wrapped up just after the hour mark manager Jason Ainsley took the opportunity to make substitutions with 25 minutes to go to rest a few key players in advance of the match in Milton Keynes.

The Moors keeper Dan Lowson has been in the news ahead of Saturday’s tie. The Sun have written an article on the custodian highlighting the fact that he is trainee Farrier! See

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/2105351/fa-cup-first-round-dan-lowson-will-go-from-nags-to-riches-if-spennymoor-beat-mk-dons/

Neigh bother! Moors keeper Dan Lowson is a shoe-in to play in goal on Saturday

The Sun reckon that a good performance on Saturday will see him go from ‘nags to riches’. There is one thing for sure he will be chafing at the bit right now. Come back here on Sunday for a full report of Milton Keynes Dons v Spennymoor Town on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. Will Barker be woofing with delight or will The Farrier keep a clean sheet and let in neigh goals? Keep reading.

Not long until matchday now. The Moors are in midweek action tonight and The Dons still looking for a manager. The build up continues ...

The Rhino v Mosquito FA Cup tie that is MK Dons v Spennymoor Town is only five days away. The clubs have different things on their minds as the big day approaches. The Dons are still looking for a new manager to replace Karl Robinson and The Moors have more league action to attend to before Saturday.

Everyday I keep checking the odds for the ‘next manager of MK Dons’ to make sure that the chances of The Dons appointing the unlovable Scotsman Steve Evans are remote. Worryingly Evans is still hanging around in the betting and is now 12-1. Paul Mitchell remains the odds on favourite but a surprise mover in the field is Ryan Giggs who is now second favourite with some bookmakers. Giggs would, in my opinion, make an excellent choice having worked under the tutelage of perhaps the greatest manager of all time, Scotsman Sir Alex Ferguson, for so many years. Giggs also has a strong connection with the FA Cup having scored that amazing winner in the semi final in 1999 against Arsenal when he beat about 15 players while running at full tilt before firing the ball home.

Giggs (next Dons manager ?) scores THAT goal in the 1999 FA Cup Semi Final

Also in the running for the vacancy are Scots Steven Presley and Dougie Freedman so if the Dons want a bit of the old Caledonian magic then there are a couple of likely lads. ‘Elvis’ Pressley has experience of operating at League One level and as a former Hearts captain would be a good choice as far as I am concerned. As mentioned in all my previous posts on this subject – to anyone in Milton Keynes reading this, anyone but Steve Evans please.

Then Hearts captain Steven Pressley lifts the Scottish Cup in 06: Next manager of MK Dons ?

While The Dons consider the managerial vacancy The Moors have actual football matters to attend to. The cost of a good cup run for a non league team is that you end up playing midweek matches every week to keep up with the league programme. Tonight they host Workington AFC at their Brewery Field Ground in an Evostik Premier Division Fixture. A win against mid table Workington would further strengthen The Moors promotion bid. Hence, although the tie in Milton Keynes on Saturday is massive, the Moors can not afford to take their foot off the gas as they look to secure 3 vital league points.

The main stand at The Brewery Field: Will it be full when Workington visit tonight?

I continue to get tweets and facebook posts from Moors fans (thanks guys) and Liam Curry (@Curry_LG on twitter) picked me up on a detail in my last post. Spennymoor Town are not the only club who are still in the FA Cup and have already been knocked out of the FA Trophy – Stourbridge share that ‘honour’.

Will MK Dons appoint Ryan Giggs as manager? Will the Moors beat Workington tonight? Will key players from both camps be fit for the big match on Saturday? Will there be a triumph of hope over experience and can The Moors actually win on Saturday? Come back here on Thursday for more build up, and keep reading!

Moors and Dons both lose 2-1 yesterday as the build up to the big match continues

Yesterday the two first round FA Cup protagonists, MK Dons and Spennymoor Town, were both in action as the build up to the big match next Saturday continued. Both lost. The Moors surprisingly lost to Matlock in the FA Trophy and The Dons went down fighting against an in form Sheffield United team.

The Moors long unbeaten run came to an end yesterday when they were beaten 2-1 at their Brewery Field ground in front of just under 400 fans. No one could see this result coming as the in-form Spennymoor team got caught by a sucker punch. Matlock opened the scoring in the first half and shortly after the interval Anderson equalised for the Moors with a well taken goal. The visitors from Derbyshire scored the winner 5 minutes from time and perhaps this will be a valuable learning experience for Moors keeper Lowson who allowed a harmless looking cross squirm between his legs and into the net.

Dan Lowson: So often the hero for the Moors - yesterday the villan

I would need to check this but I suspect that The Moors may be the only club who are still in the FA Cup but knocked out of the FA Trophy. There are some excellent match highlights of yesterday’s game available from the Spennymoor Town twitter feed (@SpennymoorTown), but I would not advise Daniel Lowson to watch them.

Scot watch: That Moors Man Jamie McChandler, the man with the affinity with East Lothian, was in midfield action for Spennymoor yesterday. I am not sure that there is any truth in the rumour that he had a plate of haggis at half time rather than the traditional organge.

The manager-less MK Dons travelled north to Sheffield yesterday to take on The Blades in a League One fixture at Brammall Lane. More than 20000 fans were in attendance and apparently The Dons played well. My fellow Road-to-Wembley pal John Tissington, a Sheffield United season ticket holder, was there. John noted that MK Dons are a decent side, play plenty of good football and he can’t understand why they are struggling in the league. Maybe the decision to relieve Karl Robinson of his duties was a bit hasty and maybe a few good results are just around the corner. The match finished 2-1 for the home side with Darren Potter on target for the Dons

 Scot watch: The opening goal of the game was scored by a Scot. Unfortunately for MK Dons it was the Sheffield United youngster Stefan Scougall, ex of Livingston, who was the man on target. The Dons did not include young Scot Connor Furlong in their matchday 18 but on-loan Scot Jack Hendry played the full 90 minutes for the Milton Keynes side. I am guessing that Jack was fully engaged with the action as he ended up getting booked. It seems very likely that Jack will keep his place in the team for the big match next week and who knows Connor Furlong might make the bench.

I was delighted to see that the controversial Scot Steve Evans has drifted in the betting to become the next manager of MK Dons. The overwhelming favourite is now ex Dons player Paul Mitchell, currently part of the backroom team at Spurs. As I reported in an earlier post, anyone but Evans is OK by me!

Will the Dons have a new manager in place before next Saturday? Will Moors Keeper Lowson learn his lesson? Will Scottish MK Dons youngsters Jack Hendry and Connor Furlong be picked to play in the big match next weekend? It is going to be a fascinating next stop on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. Keep visiting this blog as the build up continues. Keep reading.

Pzazz ! The Moors are in seventh heaven again ahead of the big match.

The next match on the road to Wembley from Scotland is MK Dons v Spennymoor Town at Stadium MK on Saturday November the 5^th. The protagonists’ midweek activities have differed this week as the big match hoves into view.  MK Dons have had a week licking their wounds after the calamitous defeat last Saturday while The Moors have, once again been in midweek action. On Tuesday they travelled the short journey to Darlington to take on Darlington Railway Athletic FC in the County Durham Challenge Cup.

Of all The Moors’ objectives for this season, winning the Durham Challenge Cup is probably the lowest priority. With a visit to Milton Keynes just around the corner the manager Jason Ainsley chose to field a team of squad members and players from the Spennymoor U-18s team. The match afforded the youngsters a great chance to show their paces and they did not disappoint. Whatever line up the Moors name these days the chosen players are playing with great pzazz. Two weeks ago the Moors beat Skelmersdale United 7-0 in an Evostik League match, on Tuesday night they were in seventh heaven again. The home side were despatched 7-2 with Mark Anderson, Andrew Johnson and Nathan Fisher among the scorers for Spennymoor. The Moors now play Chester Le Street FC in the next round of the Durham Challenge Cup in January.

The young Moors players celebrating one of their 7 goals on Tuesday night

 The Moors have now gone 9 games undefeated in all competitions and are clearly in rude health ahead of their visit to Stadium MK. One first team regular who was rested on Tuesday was Moors talisman Jamie Chandler. Following his brace at the weekend I contacted Jamie to see if he has any links with Scotland – well, the name Jamie is Scots! Jamie wrote: “Unfortunately I haven't got any links with Scotland however my family have lodges in Dunbar and go every weekend I'm up there myself after the game on Saturday.” I like that! Quite clearly Jamie feels that he is ‘unfortunate’ not to be Scottish. They do say there are two types of person in this world: those who are Scots and those who want to be Scots. It looks like Jamie is in the latter category. However, an affinity with Bonnie Scotland counts as a link to Bella Caledonia as far as I am concerned and from now, for the duration of the cup run, young Jamie will be known on these pages as Jamie McChandler!

Picturesque Dunbar: Spiritual home of Jamie McChandler !

The weekend fixtures are now just around the corner and this will be the last weekend before the big match on the 5^th November. On Saturday the Dons travel to Sheffield with some trepidation as they are about to cross swords with the Blades (!). On the same day the indefatigable Moors are at home to Matlock in an FA Trophy tie as they seek to continue their long unbeaten run. Come back here on Sunday to find out how they both got on and keep reading!

Oh no not him! Controversial Scotsman Steve Evans in the running to become the next manager of MK Dons

Oh no not him! This is the one link with Bonnie Scotland that I don’t want to see on The Road to Wembley from Scotland. Steve Evans is one of the favourites for the vacant MK Dons manager’s job.

Following the departure of Karl Robinson from the Dons hot seat on Sunday by ‘mutual agreement’ there has been an outpouring of love on the MK Dons facebook page for their former boss. Karl is certainly a special character and a very talented young manger. Following the initial response from the Milton Keynes faithful attention has now turned to who will replace him. Steve Cotterill is the bookies favourite at 2/1. He has been out of work since leaving Bristol City back in January and has a good reputation. I have noted from the MK Dons facebook page that he would be a popular choice with the fans. I wish him all the luck in the world and hope he is appointed.

Steve Cotterill: Bookies favourite for the manager's job at Stadium MK

 In second place in the betting at 3/1 is the controversial Scotsman Steve Evans. While I was living in Boston Lincs he dragged the good name of Boston United through the mud and was ultimately found guilty of fraud. His Wikipedia page notes: “Evans was suspended by Boston as manager on 4 July 2002 after a much-publicised Football Association (The FA) investigation into "contract irregularities". He later resigned as manager of the club in September 2002, after still being suspended by the club. He was found guilty by The FA in December 2002 of impeding an FA inquiry into contract irregularities. Evans was also suspended from the game for 20 months in January 2003 for involvement of the affairs of Boston,in which players' contracts lodged with the FA contained false salary details. Evans was further accused of impeding the inquiry and fined £8,000.Evans lodged an appeal against charges in May 2003, but The FA rejected his appeal later that month and the punishment stood.”

If you are an MK Dons fan who is reading this blog please take a look at these three pics and ask yourself ‘do you really want this man as the manager of your club?’

Evans is found guilty of impeding FA inquiry into contract irregularities

A typical Steve Evans touchline gesture

No caption needed!

Also in the betting are a number of other Scotsmen. Any of these would be a good choice if The Dons can’t get Cotterill to sign the dotted line. They include Alex Rae, John Hughes, Billy Davies, Steven Pressley and Dougie Freedman. Also quoted in Tony Mowbray who although not Scots has a long affinity with Scottish football having played for and managed Celtic and also managed Hibs. Big Mogga would also be a good choice. In fact anyone but Evans would be fine by me.

Tomorrow I will be turning my attention back to County Durham to report on how Spennymoor Town are preparing for the big cup tie against the Dons on November the 5^th. Keep reading!

MK Dons lose at home and Karl Robinson stands down: Moors draw in Derbyshire as countdown to the big match continues

Less than two weeks to go now until the ninth stop on the Road to Wembley from Scotland when Milton Keynes Dons host Spennymoor Town on Saturday 5^th November. Yesterday both of the protagonists were in league action as the build up to the big FA Cup tie continues. The two teams had very differing fortunes with The Moors extending their long unbeaten record with a 2-2 draw at Buxton and The Dons slumping to a 0-3 home defeat versus Southend.

Spennymoor have had to so a lot of travelling over the last 8 days. They followed up their FA Cup win against Lincoln with a midweek trip back to Lincolnshire to draw 3-3 with Grantham Town in the Evostik League. Yesterday they travelled to Derbyshire to cross swords with Buxton. Another high scoring draw with the rivals sharing four goals. The Moors took the lead when Jamie Chandler scored from close range. The home side equalised shortly before half time and went ahead with only 15 minutes left on the clock. Spennymoor were not to be denied and that man Chandler who equalised shortly before full time. Jamie Chadler is one of a number of summer signings for The Moors and has been inspirational over recent weeks. He has a great pedigree having played over 100 Conference games for Gateshead  and he started his career as a reserve team player with Sunderland. One to look out for on the 5^th November although unfortunately the man from South Shields has no known Scottish connections. The Moors have now gone 8 games undefeated in all competitions and are in a rich vein of form

Jamie Chandler - in great form for The Moors and scorer of a brace yesterday

The MK Dons have not won a home league match all season and yesterday they were beaten three goals to nil by Southend United. Reports suggest they were lucky to get nil! This defeat has sent the Dons tumbling further down the league and they are now just one point above the relegation places. As I have been typing this post the news has just come through that the manager Karl Robinson has left the club by mutual consent. Quite clearly the recent poor run of results has cost him his job. Football supporters have never been more impatient than they are in the modern era and I did note on the MK Dons facebook page that some fans wanted him to leave even before the disastrous result yesterday. In season 2014-15 Robinson masterminded the Dons to promotion to the Championship and on a memorable night at Stadium MK in August 2014 his team defeated Man United 4-0 in the League Cup. After the game yesterday Robinson publicly criticised his team saying: “Certain players are too weak. Mentally and physically too weak”. Ouch. With the team in trouble he needed a rottweiler and his dogs of war turned out to be poodles. I wish him well. He has the reputation of being one of the best young managers in the game and I am sure that he won’t be out of football for long.

Karl Robinson: Pictured in happier times at Stadium MK

 So with the big match two weeks away it seems likely that MK Dons will have a new gaffer in the dug out for the FA Cup tie on November the 5^th. Will it be a Scots manager? There are a good few of them between jobs at the moment. That would make things interesting on the Road to Wembley from Scotland … but … please … don’t let it be Steve Evans.

So many links between MK Dons and Scotland they should be wearing tartan shirts! Also midweek roundup.

I am looking forward to MK Dons v Spennymoor Town in the FA Cup First Round on Saturday the 5^th November. On Tuesday night the two were both involved in league matches, in both cases their first dose of action since the FA Cup draw was made. The Moors travelled back to Lincolnshire this time to take on Grantham Town. The indefatigable Moors came back from 3-1 down with two late goals to claim a 3-3 draw. At the Stadium MK it also ended 3-3. The Dons were 3-1 up against Bristol Rovers going in to the final minute of the game but somehow contrived to concede two late goals and this match also finished 3-3. The Dons have yet to win at home in the league this season but thankfully their away form has been good and has secured them a place in mid table.

In my post on Tuesday I reported on a few Scots who have played for MK Dons and since the post I have received a plethora of additional links between MK Dons and Scotland from the contributors to the MK Dons facebook page. Thanks guys, MK Dons have such a strong connection with Bella Caledonia that they should be wearing tartan shirts! Here goes:

Connor Furlong: Earlier I reported that this young Scots midfielder is on the fringes of the MK Dons first team and he has already made two appearances for the first XI. Since the post Connor has been kind enough to provide me with a bit more detail concerning his Scots heritage (thanks Connor). 18 year old Connor was actually born in England but his family are all from Perth. He is a Rangers fan but I won’t hold that against him. Connor has represented Scotland at both under 15 and under 16 level and who knows if he continues to make good progress could play for the full Scotland team at some stage in the future. The national team could do with some creativity in the centre of the park. Connor is hoping to be involved in the big game against the Moors and that would be a great Scots link to the tie.

Young Scot Connor Furlong in action for MK Dons

Jack Hendry: I have discovered since Tuesday that there is another young Scotsman in the MK Dons squad. Take a bow Jack Hendry. Jack is a 21 year old Glaswegian defender who made his name with Partick Thistle. Good performances for the Firhill side earner Jack a move to Wigan Athletic. He is currently on loan at Stadium MK until the end of January and has thus far has had two first team outings for the Dons.

Jack Hendry from Glasgow: Wigan player currently on loan at Stadium MK

Gary MacKenzie: When I put out the request for Scots links to the MK Dons on the club’s facebook page, this guy was mentioned many many times in the replies. It would appear that ‘Gary Mac’ was something of a cult hero at Stadium MK. The big defender is still playing at the age of 31, currently plying his trade at St Mirren. The Dons signed him from Dundee in 2010 and over the next three seasons he made 63 appearances and scored 3 goals for the Milton Keynes team. He seems to be something of a ‘bad boy’ and after one red card for stamping his own manager Karl Robinson branded him a ‘disgrace’. One other dismissal during his time with the Dons was for head-butting, so he was certainly no angel. However, fans all over the world take to a loveable wrong-un. As far as I know no MK Dons player has been capped for Scotland while playing for the club. Colin Cameron and Alex Rae won their caps before joining the Dons. Gary MacKenzie came closest. He was in two Scotland squads during his time at Stadium MK but never managed to get on to the pitch and indeed never did win a full cap.

Scots tough guy Gary Mac in typical pose while playing for MK Dons

John Gorman: For two seasons from 2010-12 John Gorman was Assistant Manager to Karl Robinson at Stadium MK. John played for Carlisle United for many years, briefly for Spurs and finished his playing career in the USA. He is best known for his work as Assistant Manager to Glenn Hoddle. The pair first worked together at Swindon Town and later at Tottenham Hotspur. In between these gigs Gorman had a controversial stint as Assistant Manager of England between 1996 and 1999. I honestly believed that I would never see a Scotsman as part of the England management team in my lifetime … but it actually happened. In his last job in management this ‘always a bridesmaid’ character assisted the MK Dons to a place in the League One play offs.

Scot Gorman celebrates an England victory !

Peter Leven: Peter is another character who is popular with the MK Dons facebook gang. Leven, from Renfrew is now 33 years old but has hung up his boots to take up the role of Assistant Manager to Lee Clark at Kilmarnock. Peter actually cut his teeth at Killie playing for the Ayrshire men for three seasons between 2004 and 2007 before moving south firstly to Chesterfield and then to MK Dons in 2008. The attacking midfielder played three full seasons for the Dons, rarely missing a match and scoring 22 goals.

Popular Jock Peter Leven in action for the MK Dons

 John Paul McGovern: 36 year old Glaswegian midfielder McGovern started his career at Celtic but did not make the first team (funny that, a Celtic player having the same christian names as a Pope!). After a spell on loan at Sheffield United John Paul moved to Livingston to get regular first team football. Impressive performances for the West Lothian side paved the way for a move south to Sheffield Wednesday. After two seasons at Hillsborough John Paul signed for the MK Dons in 2006 and in his one season at Stadium MK appeared 47 times and scored 3 goals. McGovern has since played for Sindon, Carlisle United, Derry City, Ayr United and Stirling Albion. In his dotage he is still playing and these days pulls on the boots for Clyde in Scottish League Two.

A very young John Paul McGovern: Scottish Youth Cup winner with Celtic

Allan Smart: Perthshire born Allan was a man of many clubs. His most successful spell was at Watford between 1998 and 2001. His long of list of clubs included MK Dons. Allan had one season at Stadium MK, 2004-05. He appeared 18 times for the Dons and scored 4 goals. His major claim to fame in Scottish football folklore is that he played for Caledonian FC in the Highland League and then after the famous Invernesian merger he represented Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish League.

Scots Ex MK Dons player Allan Smart in action for Watford

 David McCracken: David is another Scotsman who had a single season at Stadium MK. The tall Glaswegian centre back made his name at Dundee United and arrived in Milton Keynes in 2009 via Wycombe Wanderers. In his time with the Dons David played 41 times and scored 1 goal. At the age of 35 David is still playing and is currently trying to help Falkirk gain promotion to the Scottish Premier League.

Ex MK Dons player David McCraken: Now wearing Falkirk colours

Simon Church: Simon Church is not Scottish he is Welsh. However, he deserves a mention here as he is part of a unique link between MK Dons and Bonnie Scotland. He represented both ‘Dons’ last season when he started the season with MK Dons and then later went on loan to the Aberdonian ‘Dons’. A half decent striker Simon signed for Dutch team Roda JC in the summer.

Welshman Church played for 'Dons' both north and south of the border

Nigel Quashie: Nigel possibly does not feature prominently in the memories of MK Dons fans. He arrived on loan from West Ham in 2009 and played 7 games and scored 2 goals. He can certainly claim to be Scottish because he won 14 caps for the national side between 2004 and 2006. Prior to his Scotland debut he had played for the England under 21 team on 4 occasions. On being called up for Scotland by Bertie Vogts the young Nigel made this lukewarm commitment: “I have never given up hope of playing for England but my grandfather is Scottish and I would be interested in playing for Scotland”. Not exactly the stuff to fill the Tartan Army with pride. However, goals and good performances change football fans minds – often instantly. Nigel scored his only goal for Scotland on the 30^th May 2004. I remember it well because I was there. I remember the date also very well as it was the date of the party to celebrate the Silver Wedding of my wife and Anne and I. With the preparations for the big party in full swing I absented myself (as you do) to nip off and watch the Scotland v Trinidad and Tobago friendly international. After Quashie scored in the 35^th minute the crowd struck up a rousing chorus of “Your not English any more” to the tune of Bread of Heaven.

'Your not English any more': Quashie brief spells with MK Dons and the Scotland team

There may be other Scots who have played for MK Dons and as I find them I will report them. Thanks again to all the MK Dons fans that have signposted me towards the players listed above. As the build up to the big match continues I will be keeping my eye out for other links between the two clubs an Bella Caledonia.

Both Spennymoor and MK Dons are in league action tomorrow as the build up to the big match on November the 5^th continues. MK Dons look for that elusive first home win against Southend and The Moors are away at Buxton. Return here on Sunday to see how they got on.