MK Dons vs Bromley: Big Bet Preview

Credit: Gordon Bell

Milton Keynes Dons vs Bromley
(Sat 11th Apr, 12:30pm UK - Sky Sports)

With less than a month to go in the League Two season, it’s now or never in the race for automatic promotion up to the third tier. This weekend, with just three points splitting MK Dons in 2nd and Salford in 6th, table-topping Bromley travel to Stadium MK knowing a win will all-but seal their first ever promotion to League One. The Dons are now four without a win and need to correct their form quickly, as the four teams on their heels have now closed the gap entirely. With 3rd placed Notts County facing off against Cambridge in 4th this weekend, MK Dons will drop to 3rd as a minimum should they lose to Bromley, so a win is almost necessary for Paul Warne’s side. If results go a certain way, which is fairly likely, we could end the day with a single point gap splitting five teams with just two automatic promotion spots left available. With the promotion fight tighter than ever, it’s a must-win game for both MK Dons and Bromley in their pursuit of promotion. It doesn’t get much bigger in this week’s Tipple Big Bet!

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As It Stands

1st: Bromley - Played 42 - 81 Points
2nd: MK Dons - Played 42 - 76 Points
3rd: Notts County - Played 42 - 76 Points
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4th: Cambridge - Played 41 - 74 Points
5th: Swindon - Played 42 - 74 Points
6th: Salford - Played 42 - 73 Points
7th: Chesterfield - Played 41 - 68 Points
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8th: Crewe - Played 42 - 66 Points

Form

MK Dons looked to be cruising to a fairly routine automatic promotion, but they’ve hit a speed bump in recent weeks. Off the back of a streak of 14 unbeaten league matches, including 10 wins, they’re now 4 games winless after defeats to Barnet and Salford followed by draws to Barrow and Oldham. They’ve only scored twice across that period, but have taken 54 shots. If they can start converting their chances again, their promotion push will get back on track. Can they kick back into gear with a win over the league leaders at Stadium MK?

Bromley have struggled more than usual in recent weeks, namely due to losing their captain and leading scorer Michael Cheek to injury, but have limped through games to get results. With a nightmare fixture list of MK Dons, Cambridge, Salford, and Walsall to come, they just need to squeeze any points they can out of the next 4 games to to crawl over the line into League One. They have 3 wins, a loss, and a draw in their last 5, with all 3 wins by just a single goal and the draw being rescued in the 11th minute of added time at Barnet on Good Friday. They squeezed out a 2-1 win against struggling Shrewsbury in midweek to leave a 9 point gap between themselves and the play-offs. Promotion is essentially certain now for Bromley, but if they lose this weekend it could get squeaky for the final few games. 

Head-to-head

Bromley are fairly new to the football league, and MK Dons are fairly new to existing, so they have only actually faced off on three occasions in their histories. Last season, they drew 1-1 in Bromley and the away side eked out a 1-0 win at Stadium MK. Earlier this campaign, Bromley came from 1-0 down to win 2-1 at their place with goals from Deji Elerewe and Omar Sowunmi. 

In three meetings, we’ve seen two Bromley wins and a draw. Can MK Dons get their first ever victory over their opponents in a crucial game this weekend? Or will Andy Woodman’s side extend their streak? 

Key Match Up

Callum Paterson vs Omar Sowunmi

Bromley are without their key man up front and need to grind out a result, and MK Dons have struggled to find the net in recent weeks, so these two will be key in securing a result for their respective teams. Both have been nominated for the League Two player of the season award, with Paterson notching up 14 goals and 8 assists so far and Sowunmi being a colossus at the back for Bromley that has led to them being the surprise feel-good story of the season in the fourth tier.

After scoring in 4 consecutive games, including a hat-trick against Shrewsbury, Paterson is now 3 games without a goal. Bromley are also 3 without a clean sheet after a run of 3 shutouts in a row. Both will be bidding to end their streaks in this weekend’s huge clash, who will come out on top in the battle of the POTY nominations?

Preview

With 4 games to go, this might just be the biggest game left in the League Two calendar.

MK Dons are clinging on to an automatic place by their fingernails and desperately need to pick up points to stay above the dreaded play-offs. Bromley have 4 killer fixtures remaining and aren’t quite safe in their automatic position as of yet. Even just a single point here would be huge in winning them the title and a maiden League One promotion.

Everything is on the line and there’s no time left for mistakes. Who will come out on top in this week’s Tipple Big Bet?

Tipple Difficulty Rating: 9/10